


Second Chances: Season 6

by chadmaako



Series: Second Chances [1]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-19
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2018-05-21 22:06:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 81
Words: 357,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6059785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chadmaako/pseuds/chadmaako
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 6 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was arguably the worst of the lot. This is a story about what would happen if Buffy wasn't brought back from the grave. Instead, she was able to stay in heaven and keep a distant eye on her friends while they carried on without her. Sunnydale however, is in need of a slayer. Enter the second of the chosen two; Faith Lehane. Freshly released from prison, she's determined to do right or die trying. Come along on her and the rest of the Scoobies' journeys as we reintroduce old friends and say hello to a few new ones.<br/>Note: This story begins in the early 2010's (haven't really nailed down the year), instead of the early 2000's as it did in canon. Just wanted to put it out there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

 

Faith rolled over fitfully, trying to find sleep. The thin prison mattress offered little in the way of comfort. She flopped onto her back and stared at the gray ceiling of her tiny cell. If she wanted to be honest with herself, she knew the reason she couldn’t sleep. Every night it was the same dream. The same damnation for the things she had done.

For some reason, however, tonight was different. It was as though the part of her that was the slayer, the ancient line of warrior women that turned a trash-talking street punk from Boston into something of worth was warring with her human aspects. The slayer was trying to tell her something. She could feel it in the air. In her heart. In her  _soul_.

Something terrible had happened.

She let out a long sigh. “Time to face the music,” She said to the emptiness of her cell. She closed her eyes, steadied her breathing and after what seemed like hours, she found slumber.

_She stood atop the building, as she had so many nights before. Waiting for the inevitable conversation, she was destined, once again to have with her golden counterpart. She sighed as she heard the light footsteps._

_Buffy came out onto the roof to see Faith standing there. She could hear a helicopter flying in the background._

_“Here we go again.” Faith said, softly._

_“Not this time,” Buffy said. Her voice was incredibly calm._

_Faith turned and regarded her. She raised an eyebrow. Night after night she was used to seeing the blonde slayer in the same outfit. The black slacks, the black t-shirt, and the mango (because the great Buffy Summers would never be caught dead in something that was ‘orange’) over shirt. The girl’s hair was long and wavy last time Faith had seen her. Now, she stood in a simple white sweatshirt and a pair of khaki pants. Her hair hung in a straight golden wash down her shoulders._

_Faith found it almost comical that she was so wrapped up in Buffy’s appearance. Having the same dream night after night made one take note of absolutely everything. Especially if the dream changed._

“ _B…”_

“ _You’re sorry,” Buffy said, nodding. “I know.”_

“ _Just tell me how to make it right. How to make it better.” Faith said, her voice shaking._

_Buffy finally turned and looked at her. “That’s why I’m here.” She stepped forward and took Faith’s trembling hands. She looked at them. “You’re strong, Faith. When you take away all the crap…all of the bullshit.” She lifted her eyes to those of her dark counterpart. “You’re a slayer. Just like I was.”_

_Faith heard the girl’s choice of words and furrowed her brow. “What…?”_

“ _It’s up to you, now.”She sighed and turned toward the city. “Do it better than I did, yeah?”_

“ _What are you talkin’ about, B?” Faith asked, moving up beside her. “I’m not the slayer you are. I never was.”_

“ _No Faith, you weren’t.” Buffy offered. “If the world needed another slayer like me, they’d have called a prissy little valley girl with man trouble.” She looked at Faith and smiled. “They didn’t. They called a hardcore, cleavage flashing, slick five-by-five bitch.” She chuckled. “Exactly what the world needed.”_

“ _I don’t get it, B. What…?” She looked around. The helicopter was frozen in midair. The sounds of the world were muted. “What is all of this?”_

“ _It’s a goodbye, Faith.” She shook her head. “My time is up. I’ve done my part. Served my tour. Now it’s your turn. A chance to be what we,_ I  _knew you could always be.”_

_A sudden icy fist gripped Faith’s stomach and squeezed. “What…” She sobbed. “What are you saying, B…Buffy?”_

“ _Been a while since you called me that,” Buffy said. “I’m dead, Faith.”_

“ _You’re…”_

“ _Dead. Pushing up daisies. Six feet under. Paying the ferryman.” Buffy said, simply. “I’m an Ex-slayer now.”_

“ _But…” Faith said, her voice trembling. “You can’t die. You’re Buffy fucking Summers.” Her head shook back and forth. “You did it right. You were the best of us.”_

“ _The powers that be disagree, apparently. I met my apocalypse aversion quota.” She frowned. “Five, if memory serves. One more and I would have gotten a free set of steak knives.”_

_Despite the pain that she was feeling, Faith giggled. “That was pretty funny.”_

“ _I’m here because you deserve to know, Faith. And because I need to ask you a favor.”_

“ _Anything Buffy.” Faith said. “I’ll do anything to square things with you.”_

“ _Promise me you’ll look after Dawn. They’re gonna need you in Sunnydale.”_

_Faith bit her lip. “I’m in prison, remember?” She looked into those beautiful hazel eyes. “This is where you wanted me. Where you thought I belonged.”_

“ _You killed people, Faith,” Buffy said. “But…I have blood on my hands, too.”_

“ _Look, B. We both played a part in Finch’s…”_

“ _I’m not talking about Finch, Faith.” Buffy looked at her. “About a year before you showed up in Sunnydale…” She sighed. “I let a boy get turned into a vampire. I could have saved him…and I didn’t. I let him die.”_

_Faith was incredibly shocked by this. “What?” She wasn’t sure she was hearing what she thought she was hearing._

“ _His name was Billy Fordham. He had terminal brain cancer and wanted Spike to turn him into a vampire. In exchange for me, Spike agreed. He was gonna sacrifice an entire club full of people to make it happen. I hated him for what he was doing, but…”_

“ _Couldn’t really blame him for wanting to do it?” Faith asked._

_Buffy gave a small nod. “He was terrified of dying. I get that, I do.”_

“ _But murder is murder.” Faith said. “I know the feeling.”_

“ _If you get right down to it…” Buffy turned to Faith. “I should have been in here with you.”_

“ _Nah, B. What you did?” She shook her head. “You just gave an asshole what he wanted. He was looking for the ferryman. You just walked him to the river.”_

“ _Awful deep insight, there.”_

“ _Hey, you started the mythology ball rollin’ B.” Faith said. “Point is, in your case, he wanted to be a vampire. Yeah, he didn’t really know the risks, but it was what he wanted. He got it. Someone neglected to mention that part where the slayer stakes out his grave and dusts him the second he reaches moonlight.” She shrugged. “That’s what he gets for not doing his homework.”_

_Buffy raised an eyebrow. “That’s unlike you, Faith. I tell you that I murdered someone in cold blood and you completely justify it.” She smiled. “The Faith I know would have called bullshit from here to Christmas.”_

“ _Don’t care what you say, B. You ain’t never gonna be like me. You ain’t really got it in you.” Faith said. “I killed for the Mayor because he asked me to. Not because of some notion that I was being righteous or any of that shit. He actually seemed to give a damn about me. And for that approving smile, I was willing to do anything for him.” She shook her head. “You ain’t a killer, B. Yeah, you’ll beat the shit out of people, but you don’t really do the whole murder bag. At least, not the way I did it.”_

“ _You never did promise me,” Buffy said, after a moment of staring into Faith’s whiskey brown eyes._

“ _I can’t B.” Faith said. “I’m in here twenty-five to life. I’m up for parole in fifteen years if I’m lucky.”_

_Buffy smiled. “Don’t be so sure of that, Faith.”_

“ _I promise I’ll do what I can, B.” Faith said. “That’s all I got for you.”_

_Buffy stepped up and pulled Faith down, kissing her with all the passion and sensuality she could muster. “I know you’ve been wanting to do that since you got to Sunnydale.”_

“ _Can’t argue with that.” Faith said._

“ _You remember what I said to you in Angel’s apartment?”_

_Faith gave a curt nod. “If I apologized to you, you’d beat me to death.”_

“ _If you did, would you mean it?” Buffy asked. There was no condemnation in her voice. Just simple curiosity._

“ _Of course, I would.” Faith said, on the verge of tears. “I’d do anything…”_

“ _Say it.” Buffy said. “Apologize to me.”_

“ _I’m so sorry. What I did to you…you were right. I’ve heard the stories. Red, Xan, Tweed. They all say the same thing. You’ve been beat down and broken…” She began sobbing. “But I was the only one that really made you feel like a victim. You shouldn’t forgive me. Not ever.”_

_Buffy stepped up and hugged her. “And that’s why I do, Faith. Because of how you feel at this moment. No amount of my being angry with you will ever punish you as much as your own mind. You screwed up. I won’t debate that, but you have a chance now. You have an opportunity to get back on the path.” She pushed her to arm’s length. “You have to be a hero now. You can’t wallow in self-pity and guilt. Giles would tell you to have a stiff upper lip and soldier on…or some bullshit like that.” She smiled. “He might throw the words ponce, bullocks, and bugger in their somewhere. Still a little shaky on the British-isms.”_

_Faith smiled and wiped her eyes. “I’m gonna try to get outta here. Try talking to the Watcher’s council and see about getting back on the roster.”_

“ _That’s what I was hoping to hear. Though, to be fair, they might be coming to you very shortly.” Buffy offered. “I actually got back in the picture with them a few months ago.”_

“ _I’m gonna miss you, B.” Faith said. “I should have tried harder to be friends.”_

“ _I should have tried harder, too,” Buffy said. She turned and looked over her shoulder. “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming, hold your horses.” She looked back to Faith. “Time to go. Take care of Dawnie for me.”_

“ _I will, B. That’s a promise.” Faith said. “You were the best, B. Always will be.”_

“ _Live past your twenty-first birthday, Faith.” Buffy waved as she backed away. “And you’ll have me beat.”_

“ _Only two years and change. I can do that.” Faith said. “Bye, B.”_

“ _Goodbye, Faith.” She pointed to her eyes and back at the brunette slayer._

“ _Even in the shower?” Faith said._

“ _Letch,” Buffy said, before vanishing in a blinding flash._

_Faith sighed and smiled. “She didn’t say no.”_

Quentin Travers tucked his copy of  _The Daily Telegraph_ under his arm and unlocked the door to his office. He slipped the keys back into his pocket. He kick-nudged the door closed with his foot, reading the front page article. He sipped his tea and set his cup and the paper on his desk before taking a seat in the large high-backed leather chair.

He set about looking over the reports from the Watchers in the field. So engrossed was he in what he was doing that the knock on his door physically startled him. “Bloody hell,” He said softly. “It’s open.” He shouted.

Nigel, a young, but gifted Watcher, and Quentin’s assistant stepped into the room. His face was a mask of solemn calmness. The stoic blankness, however, spoke volumes to the elder man. “Sir,” He said, stepping up to the desk, setting a manila folder on it. “You should read this.”

“What is it?” Quentin asked, lifting it and flipping it open. As he lifted the photograph on top of the papers, Nigel answered him.

“It’s the report from Rupert Giles. There’s been a…complication in Sunnydale, sir.”

Quentin stared at the photo. The image was of Buffy Summers, the only active slayer in the world, lying dead and broken upon a large heap of flotsam. Quentin found it strange that she had a smile upon her still face. “This is verified?” He asked, looking up at Nigel.

“It is, sir.” The young man fought past the lump in his throat. “Buffy Summers perished in the line of duty.”

Quentin set the photograph down and looked over the report. He was elated that Glorificus had been stopped. The world was at least spared from that catastrophe…but the price was too high. There was absolutely no love lost between him and Buffy. As far as he was concerned, the girl was belligerent, disrespectful and grossly undisciplined. She bucked authority whenever it suited her and refused to take parts of her training seriously.

But all of that aside…he respected her. She’d fought hard and well against seemingly insurmountable odds time and again and managed overcome them each and every time. She was a very, very effective slayer. She was very good at what she did. He couldn’t, and wouldn’t, take that away from her.

“Sir,” Nigel said. “What are we going to do? Miss Summers was the only slayer. She’s passed away once already. The line no longer runs through her.” He shook his head. “There are no slayers. The line is dead.”

Quentin slowly lifted his eyes to the young man. He absolutely hated what he was forced to say next. “That, my dear Nigel, is where you’re wrong.”

“What do you mean, sir?” Nigel asked. He was confused by that statement.

“There’s another slayer,” Quentin said.

“You don’t mean…”

“Faith,” Travers said, his tone like iron. “She’s our current slayer, Nigel.”

“But sir. She’s in a coma. She may never recover.”

Quentin sighed and motioned to a chair. “Have a seat, Nigel. What I’m about to tell you is considered classified. You will repeat this to no one, am I understood?”

Nigel took a seat and nodded. “You have my word.”

“Faith Lehane is not in a coma,” Quentin said. “She’s in prison. She is currently serving prison time for the murder of Professor Lester Worth. She woke from her coma over almost a year and a half ago. She had a…an altercation with Buffy and fled to Los Angeles. While there she clashed briefly with the vampire Angel…”

“Angelus, sir?”

“Our sources say he’s…reformed. He fronts a supernatural detective agency of sorts, or so they say. She contracted out to a law firm called Wolfram and Hart to kill him. He somehow managed to get her to come to terms with what she’d done and convinced her to turn herself in. She’s served a year and some, where she remains to this day.”

“Are you…are you saying that our only hope lies with a convicted murderer?” Nigel asked. “Surely not.”

Quentin raised an eyebrow. “Desperate times, Nigel.”

“Are you seriously going to attempt to free her?”

“We are decidedly out of options, my good man. It seems we have no choice but to gain…” He smiled. “A little Faith.”

“Let us just hope we are not making a tremendous mistake.”

Rupert Giles sat on his sofa and sipped the brandy he’d poured himself. It had been a little over three days since Buffy’s memorial. And he was pretty certain he hadn’t stopped drinking or crying in all that time. The young slayer was the closest thing to a daughter he’d ever had.

And he’d miss her for the rest of his days. There was no arguing with that. When Willow had spoken to him about attempting to get Spike’s Buffybot up and running to take on the slaying duties, he wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

He couldn’t fault the idea. It had an incredible amount of merit, it really did. So he voiced his approval, remarking that it was a rather good idea. But there was a part of him that thought it would almost be a betrayal of the golden-haired slayer. She had earned her peace. He knew full well that was what ‘death being her gift’ had meant.

Buffy’s gift was peace in the afterlife. In his estimation, none he’d met before deserved to find peace and happiness more than Buffy Anne Summers. “You were the best of us,” He said, lifting his glass to the air in a toast. He drained the glass and sighed, looking about his flat. “None of it means a damn anymore.” He said, dejected. “Not me, not them…not a bloody bit of it.”

The ringing of his phone startled him. He rose unsteadily to his feet and retrieved it, dropping it before managing to get it up to his ear. “Yes…Giles. What?” He stammered.

“Rupert.” A stern voice said from the other end. “It’s Quentin.”

“Oh, Quentin…I was just…not thinking about you.” Giles said indignantly. “But you’ve pretty well shot that to hell, now haven’t you?”

“Rupert? Are you drunk?” He asked.

“Drunk?” Giles asked, smiling. “No. Smashed? Three sheets to the wind? Shit-faced? Indeed, I am.”

“Sit down before you fall and injure yourself. You survived five years as a slayer’s Watcher. That last thing we need you doing is killing yourself because you decided to get inebriated and bash your head on your coffee table.”

Giles fell into the chair at his desk. “Get on with it, Quentin. Expel me from the council so I can get on with destroying my liver in peace.”

“Is that why you think I’ve called you?”

“Isn’t it? My slayer is dead. The only active slayer is dead. The only other living slayer is currently serving twenty-five years in prison. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, old chap but the Watcher’s Council as a whole, is rather superfluous at this point.”

“You’re partially right, Rupert. But we’ve got plans in motion.” Quentin sighed. “I need your help, Rupert.  _We_ need your help.”

That actually sobered him up a bit. “What?”

“Faith is in prison. We’ve had our legal experts looking over her case with a fine-toothed comb. Right now, the only evidence that is keeping Faith in prison is her testimony and confession. There’s no physical evidence whatsoever. We’ve got a law firm on retainer that are experts at circumventing the law. We…try not to use them if we can help it, but they have some experience with our wayward slayer. We believe they can get her out.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Giles asked, fearing where the conversation was headed.

“We need you to be what you were. A Watcher. You will take over as Faith’s Watcher. According to what I’ve heard she’s been a model prisoner and wants to do right this time around. She’s even bettered herself on the inside. She’s attained her GED and works in the library.”

“Not what I would have expected from Faith, to be honest.”

“I agree. But it seems that we haven’t a lot of options left. Buffy was a superb slayer, Rupert. I know you cared a great deal for her. Despite my personal feelings for the girl and her attitude…she will be missed. I…I wish I’d have gotten the time to know her better.”

“It wouldn’t have made a difference, Quentin,” Giles said, a smile creeping into his voice. “She’s American. That’s enough of a reason to dislike her.”

“Nevertheless.” Quentin offered. “She was a remarkable girl and should be remembered as such.”

“Yes, she should,” Giles said.

“We need you to travel to Los Angeles and meet with the law firm we have on retainer.”

“Who exactly am I going to Los Angeles to see?”

“She’s the current vice president of a law firm that by and large are no strangers to the supernatural element. And they’ve had dealings with our slayer before…”

Lilah Morgan, turned in her chair and opened the large file cabinet behind her and pulled the drawer open, sliding the thick manila folder in place, before pushing it closed. She spun back to her desk and jotted a few notes on the legal pad in front of her before setting it aside. She looked at her clock and noticed that it just after eleven in the morning.

She nodded and slid the pen into the expensive display holder and rose from her desk, deciding to take an early lunch. The phone on her desk rang, indicating that it was the receptionist. She sighed heavily and, with all thoughts of lunch abandoned, sat and hit the button. “This is Lilah.” She said, her tone professional.

“I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am. I have a man down here that says you have a mutual friend in common. He says his name is Rupert Giles.”

Lilah furrowed her brow. The name didn’t sound familiar to her at all. “I don’t know any…”

“He said it’s regarding Faith Lehane.” The girl offered.

That made her stop. “Send him up,” She said, finally.

“Yes, ma’am.” The call ended.

Lilah turned in her chair and pulled out the keys from her pocket. She then unlocked the bottom drawer of the cabinet behind her and opened it. She sifted through the folders and pulled out the file with Faith’s name scrawled across the tab. She nudged the door closed and turned back to her desk. She spent a few moments reacquainting herself with the information.

A knock on the door caught her attention. She rose to her feet and moved across the floor, opening it.

Giles, dressed in a tweed suit, powder blue button down shirt and black silk tie stood in the doorway carrying a leather briefcase. “Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Miss Morgan.” He offered his hand.

Lilah was a little taken aback but took his hand nevertheless. She’d learned long ago how to shake hands like a man. Women never seemed to be able to get it right. She, however, perfected the mostly masculine greeting. Giles was visibly impressed. She stepped aside and let him in.

“No invitation?” He asked. “Smart.”

“I’m a lawyer, Mr. Giles. In my line of work, you learn quickly not to trust anybody.” She said, neutrally.

“Just Giles, please. It’s sort of grown on me.” He moved over and took a seat as she dropped behind the desk.

“So you said that you had business regarding Faith Lehane?” She asked, eager to get to the point.

“Yes. I’m given to understand you know who I work for?” Giles asked her.

Lilah shook her head. “As a matter of fact…I don’t.”

“Are you familiar with the Watcher’s council?” He asked her. Quentin had informed him that she was to be his point of contact. He was disheartened to find that she had no clue who he was.

“We’ve been able to cobble together some things. We know that a Watcher is assigned to the slayer. We’ve also found out that there are girls that have the potential to be a slayer if the current one dies. Some of them have Watchers as well.” She shrugged. “Honestly, we don’t know much beyond that.”

“In a nutshell, as the Americans are wont to say. I’ve been authorized to inform you that the current slayer…”

“Buffy Summers,” Lilah said. “We’ve heard of her. She caused quite a commotion when she came here a year ago looking for Faith.”

“Quite,” Giles said. “She’s no longer a slayer. She met her end a week ago.”

Lilah could see the pain on his face when he shared the news. It tugged at her heart, it really did. Losing a loved one was never easy. “I’m…sorry to hear that.”

Giles nodded. The condolence was genuine. “Thank you. Now, as you’ve said, you know a bit about Slayer lore. When a slayer passes, another is called.”

“Given that there are –  _were_  – two slayers, I’m going to assume Buffy somehow died, but was resuscitated?” She asked.

“That is correct. Now, the slayer line runs through Faith.”

“But she’s currently in prison and isn’t doing the world a lot of good,” Lilah said. “That’s a hell of a dilemma, but what does that have to do with us?”

Giles pulled a sheet of paper out of his briefcase and offered it to her. It was blank save for a thirteen digit number across the center of the page. “That’s a contract number. I was told to hand that to you. You would be able to access some information and know what I’m on about.”

Lilah shrugged and powered on her computer. She typed in the number and was surprised. “I’ve never seen this before.”

“Apparently Wolfram and Hart has been working with the Watcher’s council for quite some time,” Giles said. “I understand your surprise.”

Lilah nodded. “So…what do you need from us?”

“We need Faith Lehane released from prison, Miss Morgan,” Giles said. “As soon as humanly possible. The Hellmouth isn’t going to guard itself.”

Lilah stared at him. “You must think our reach to be endless.”

“You’re a demon advocating law firm, Miss Morgan. You don’t get that clientele without having a few aces in the hole.”

She smiled. “You’re one devious son of a bitch.” She giggled. “I like you.”

“Miss Morgan?” He rose and leaned forward. “You have no idea.”

“Are you doing anything for dinner tonight?” She asked him as she lifted her phone.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Lehane!” A deep voice dove into the dream she was having and dragged her from her sleep.

She sat bolt upright. It had been almost three weeks since that night. The night the world had lost its golden hero. Since then, she’d written letter after letter to the Watcher’s Council, but she’d yet to receive a reply. She’d begun to lose hope. She focused on the large burly guard that stood at the door of her cell. She could see his face through the small window. “What’s up Hawkins?” She asked.

A buzzer sounded somewhere in the distance. “You’re out,” He said simply. “Pack up.”

She looked at him incredulously. “What the fuck are you talking about?” She asked him.

“You’ve been released. Paperwork cleared about an hour ago.” He said to her, smiling. “You get to go home, kid,” He said softly. “Come on.”

Shocked beyond belief, she walked uneasily through the corridors of the prison. She didn’t really get it. She felt like she was in a dream. She expected to wake up back in her cell, staring at the gray of the masonry. She shouldn’t have been paroled for another fifteen years, if at all.

Silently, she gathered what little she had brought in with her. A worn brown leather jacket, a pair of faded black jeans and a ratty tank top. She was glad to see that they had at least been washed. The jeans were a tad loose but still looked good on her. She took her wallet and the keys that she carried to her apartment in Southie, and the keys to Diana’s house and the bedroom she used to have there. She hadn’t been there in years, but she still carried them. She opened up her wallet and noticed that she only had eleven dollars to her name. She nodded.

“Here.” The clerk said, handing her an envelope. “This was to be given to you after your release.”

She took the envelope and opened it as she walked out of the building. It was on Watcher Council letterhead.

 

_Dear Ms. Lehane,_

_If you are reading this, then our efforts to free you have been fruitful and you are again free to commit to your calling._

_Let me be the first to offer my condolences for all that has happened. Both Mr. Wyndham-Pryce and Mr. Giles were crucial in our efforts to obtain the truth of the matter regarding your incarceration._

_Mistakes were made, Faith. All parties involved understand that. We can only pray that such mistakes are not made again._

_Now, it must be made very clear to you. Your freedom is contingent upon your cooperation with the council. You work with us and we will ensure your safety and provide any assistance you may need._

_It has come to our attention that you have done very well in the year you have been in prison. Please continue your quest for atonement._

_Mr. Giles has more for you._

_Quentin Travers;_

_Watcher’s Council_

 

Faith read the letter again and nodded stoically. She looked around the exit station and sighed before leaving the building. She walked out of the facility with her head held high. The dream she’d had weeks before was still with her. She was determined to do things right. If that meant jumping through the Watcher council’s hoops, then that’s what she would do. She made her way out to the parking lot in front of the prison and saw a familiar face.

Rupert Giles stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a red BMW convertible. It was a bright sunny day and the top was down. She stopped when she saw him and was content to stare into his eyes. For a long time, the pair merely held eye contact. “Faith,” He said, his voice neutral.

“Tweed,” She said. “I mean, Giles.” She shoved her hands into her pocket and lowered her eyes.

His lip quirked, threatening a smirk. “How are you?” He asked her.

She shrugged. “I don’t know,” She said. “Still kinda processin’ it all, you know?” She looked back up at him. “Look, G. I gotta say this before I lose my nerve.” She sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. For all the shit I done to you and Buffy. You tried really hard to help me and I…I guess I didn’t see it for what it really was. I let my fear of trusting people screw me all up. I got no one to blame but myself.”

“I know that was hard for you to say, Faith,” Giles said. “Come on and get in. We got a long drive and can talk on the way.”

Glad that she’d gotten the hard work out of the way, she followed his lead and slid into the car. “What happened to that busted ass little Citroen you drove?”

“Spike finally killed it trying to outrun some of the Initiative blokes,” Giles said, firing up the beamer. “Long story. I bought this about eight or nine months ago.” He reached into the back seat and pulled up a Jack In the Box bag. “I figured you might be hungry.”

She smiled and opened it. Inside were a half dozen cheeseburgers. “Score. Thanks, G-man.”

“I suppose I should come right out with it,” He said, snapping a pair of tinted lenses over his glasses. “Buffy’s…”

“Dead. I know.” Faith said.

He looked at her. “How did you…?”

“Slayer dream. She came and said goodbye. Asked me if I’d look after little D for her. Let me apologize to her and even told me she forgives me on account of nothing she could do to me was as bad as what I was already doing to myself.” Faith inhaled her first burger. “I know I ain’t gonna be the perfect slayer she was…”

“She wasn’t perfect, Faith,” Giles said. “She was human. Just like the rest of us. That’s all any of us are.” He looked at her. “There’s really no difference between you and Buffy.”

“Sure there is.” Faith said. “A prison record, for one.” She took a bite of the second burger. “But I owe it to her, to you, hell, to everyone to do it right this time.” She shook her head. “I ain’t makin’ no promises for tomorrow, just saying I ain’t gonna fuck up today.”

Giles smiled. “One day at a time.”

“Yeah. Me and AA.” Faith said. “You got anything to drink in here?”

He reached back and pulled forward a two-liter bottle of Pepsi. “The largest beverage the convenience store had.”

She popped the top and took a long pull. “It does the job.” She let out a soft belch. “Thanks, Giles.”

He flicked his eyes to her and back to the road. “Don’t mention it.” He sighed. “So…I told the others that you’re going to coming back to help out.”

She chuckled. “Bet that went over well. Let me guess…everyone absolutely hates the idea and would rather I had been gassed or hung.”

“They’re…not happy,” Giles said, simply. “Willow seems bound and determined that you’re completely beyond redemption. I’m not sure if she’ll ever come around. Though Tara’s influence on her might help.”

“I remember her.” Faith said, sheepishly. “I gotta apologize to her. I was…I was a bitch to her.”

Giles nodded but didn’t address the issue. “You have to understand, Faith. Buffy meant a lot to us all. I understand the necessity of having you here, I do. But Willow and Xander…”

“Hey Tweed, don’t sweat it. It is what it is. B was the one, man. She was it. I’ll never be her, I know that.” She shook her head. “I just…I wanna do it right. B forgave me for the shit I did. That means a lot. I’m gonna stand on the line and fight because that’s what I’m supposed to do.”

“You won’t be alone, Faith. I just want you to understand that.” Giles offered. “I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“You were a good Watcher, G.” She sighed and looked out the window. “Diana would have liked you.”

He nodded. “I’ve…I’ve heard of her. She briefly dated my father.”

Faith looked at him. “No shit?” She thought a moment. “You know…back when we were training, she was talking about that retreat that she was going to. She said something about a dude that had a son that was a Watcher. She was thinking of rekindling and old friendship. Now I know who she was talking about.”

“Quite the ladies man, my father.”

“What about you?” She asked him. “I heard through the grapevine you and Mrs. S did the ditty.”

He slowly turned and looked at her. “Excuse me?” He asked.

“You and Joyce. Word on the street is you two got a little freaky on the hood of a cop car. When the boss had that Ethan guy makes those candy bars that made everyone horny teenagers.”

“We…weren’t ourselves,” He said, wishing to drop the matter.

“Hey, that’s cool. Mrs. S is a cool chick.” Faith sighed heavily. “Jesus. Someone else I gotta apologize to.”

“Her…you don’t have to worry about. At least in the strictest sense.”

“What are you talking about?”

Giles sighed again. “Joyce…passed away from a brain aneurysm about six months ago.”

Faith stared at him long and hard. “Okay,” She said, anger starting to fill her voice. “I realize that I don’t rate a hell of a lot of thought, but couldn’t you of all people have kept me, at least, a  _little_  more informed?”

For his part, Giles nodded. “I agree that we should have. I blame myself more than anyone.” He looked at her. “I’m sorry, Faith.”

She rubbed her eyes and pulled out another burger. “Are her and B, at least, next to each other or something?”

Giles nodded. “The Watcher’s council paid for the funeral. They even sent flowers. It was rather thoughtful, to be honest.”

“For them, yeah.” Faith said.

“Right now, we’re trying to keep up the illusion that Buffy is still alive. The Buffybot…”

“Whoa, wait.” Faith said, lifting her hand. “The what?”

“Oh, right. You see…” He shuddered. “I really don’t like having to explain this. Spike became…infatuated with Buffy and had a robot fashioned in her likeness created by a local techno-ponce.”

Faith looked at him with something approaching disgust. “Do I  _even_ wanna know?”

“For heaven’s sake, I sure as hell don’t,” Giles said. “Anyway…Willow managed to get the robot to help fight against Glory…a hell goddess that wanted to tear open the boundaries between the dimensions. After Buffy passed away, the Buffybot has been sort of taking over the duties of slaying. Trying to keep up appearances.” He looked at her. “It was only a balm until we could get you released.”

Faith shrugged. “Hey, if Buffy 2.0 is even half the slayer the original was, then we’re still ahead of the curve.”

“She’s not,” Giles said. “She has to the look and some of the moves, but…she’s not Buffy.” He finished sadly.

“Neither am I.” Faith said.

“But you are a slayer, Faith. And if you’re willing to commit to your destiny, then I’m willing to help you do so. In time, Willow and Xander will be as well. Things are just…painful right now.”

“Truthfully, I can use all the help I can get. Red and Xan have a hell of a lot more field time than I do.”

Giles smiled. “Buffy said much the same thing when the Watcher’s council came over to put her through her paces.”

“She passed, I take it?”

“Strangely, she stood up to them and forced them to re-hire me and tell us what we needed to know about Glory.”

“Gotta love the Watcher’s council.” Faith said. “Okay. So look. I’m gonna need a place to crash until I can…”

“The Watcher’s council purchased the Condo that the Mayor put you up in. They made sure it was repaired and refurnished. You’ll be staying there.” He reached again into the back and pulled out an envelope. “This is yours as well.”

“What is it?”

He smiled. “Let’s just say that the Watcher’s council has had a change of heart.”

She furrowed her brow and opened it. She read through the paperwork and smiled. “I’m getting paid?”

“Twenty-five hundred dollars a month after taxes. You also have a retroactive balance from the months that you were a potential and active slayer. From the time you were found until you…” He stopped himself.

Faith nodded. “Until I switched sides.” She looked at him. “You ain’t gotta pussyfoot around it, G. I screwed up. I know that. It’s a part of my history. Good or bad, it’s my history. The important thing is to not repeat it.”

“Very good,” Giles said. For the long two hour drive, the pair spoke of what Faith had missed while she was inside.

She regaled him with stories of prison life. How Angel come every now and then to see her. It was a nice relaxing drive. She finished off her food and her soda, thanking him again for the chow.

“I think we’ll go ahead and let you get some rest and get together with everyone tomorrow to discuss everything and get the hard feelings out of the way.”

“Sounds like a plan. I might do a quick patrol just to get a feel for what’s going on in town. Refresh myself with the ins and outs.”

“Just be careful. I think word has gotten out that…” His cellphone began ringing as he pulled up to Faith’s apartment. “Bloody hell,” He said, pulling it out. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Faith.”

“Later, Tweed,” She said, climbing out of the car. She took the envelopes with her and made her way to her new home as he pulled away, trying to answer his phone. She pulled the keys out and unlocked the door, slowly pushing it open. She could smell the fresh paint and the smell of freshly shampooed carpets. The walls had been repaired, the furniture was all brand new and still had the plastic over them.

She closed the door behind her and sighed. “Home sweet home.” She was glad to see that the municipality was hooked up. She didn’t, however, have a dial tone on the phone. She shrugged and went about the room pulling off the plastic covers. Everything was crisp and clean. She smiled and shrugged. “Not bad.” She saw that even the flatscreen television she had had been replaced. “Wouldn’t know we waged a fuckin’ war in here.”

She looked at her watch and noticed it was just after noon. She put the paperwork in the drawer of her nightstand and slid the debit card into her wallet. She moved over and locked the door, trotting down the stairs. She moved to the street and took everything in. The town was actually in shambles. As she began walking, she saw buildings that looked as if they’d been for lack of better term, melted. City hall was a prime example of this. Yellow warning tape surrounded the façade.

Parts of the street were collapsed into giant sinkholes. She shook her head as she strolled along. “Jesus, B. What the hell happened here?”

Her first order of business was to purchase a car. Yeah, she’d have preferred a motorcycle, but she knew that if she were to be taking over for Buffy, she’d have to have something a bit more spacious than a Harley. So she made her way toward the car lot near the downtown area.

But the more of the town she saw, the more she remembered what came before. Sunnydale, for her, had started out as a salvation. It was the home of the mythical Buffy Summers. The girl that defied death. The girl that rewrote the rules. Her exploits were oft sought out Slayer Lore.

Faith had needed help. The most terrifying vampire that, to date, she’d ever dealt with wanted her dead. She came to Sunnydale for help. As she looked around, she walked the streets of memory just as much as those about her now. She’d lied about her reasons for being there. She didn’t really see a choice, truth be told. She knew she couldn’t tell them the truth. There would have been far too many questions and, frankly, she didn’t have all the answers. That and she just wanted to forget.

But, her mind wouldn’t allow her to forget. She remembered the fear, the pain, and the sorrow on Diana’s face when… She stopped and leaned against a building, she pressed her eyes closed and tried hard not to cry. Being in this city again…it hurt. She wanted nothing more than to walk to the bus station and climb onto a coach going anywhere.

 _Besides that, Giles said it, didn’t he? They have Xan and Red. They got the Buffybot thingy, right? Why the hell do they need me?_  She thought as her mind began to race. Faith leaned against the wall and sank to the ground. She wrapped her arms tightly around her knees and just cried. All of the horrible memories came flooding back to her. She thought she got control when she was in prison, but…

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, sobbing. No one bothered her. People largely ignored her. With her decision made, she rose to her feet. She turned and began walking. “I’ve got enough for a bus ticket,” She said. “I’m sorry B, but I can’t.”

“F-F-F-Faith?” She heard a soft voice behind her.

“Shit.” Faith said, quietly to herself. She turned to see Tara, the pretty sandy blonde girl that dated Willow. “Hey, blondie,” She said.

Tara stood quietly. It was obvious she was nervous.

Faith was kind of shocked, given how much of a bitch she was to her last time they met. “Look, blond- Tara. I um…I owe you an apology. I’m sorry. For the way, I acted in the bronze. I’m really sorry. I was a fuckin’ bitch and I shouldn’t have been.”

Tara’s eyes dilated as she looked at the girl. “You’re…sorry?”

Faith nodded, not looking at the girl. “It was a terrible thing to do. I was…I was really screwed up at the time. Look, you don’t have to worry about me causin’ trouble. I’m fixin’ to leave town.”

“If you’re leaving, wh-why’d you bother coming back?” She asked.

“I don’t know.” Faith said, leaning against the wall again. “I thought…I thought I was strong enough to do this. To be the slayer after Buffy, but…” She shook her head. New tears began to fall. “I’m not her. I can’t live up to what she was.” Faith began to sob heavily. “Christ, B why’d you do this to me?”

Contrary to her better judgment, Tara took a step and pulled Faith in for a soft hug. The slayer collapsed against her as she cried. “I’m not strong enough for this, Tara.”

The blonde eased her around the corner of the building to a darkened alley and lowered her to the ground, sitting beside her. She wasn’t sure what to say to the girl. Tara had always suspected that something had driven Faith’s angry ‘fuck the world’ attitude, but had no idea what it was.

When Giles had spoken to all of them about bringing Faith back to Sunnydale to take up the slayer duties, Willow and Xander were both steadfastly against it. They both believed Faith to be an irredeemable psychotic monster with nothing good left in her. Tara didn’t dare speak out because, truthfully, she wasn’t present for a lot of what Faith did. She’d only heard what they had to say about her.

Anya strangely didn’t seem to care one way or another. She was, however very pragmatic about the whole affair. “She’s a slayer. We need one. Who cares if she’s a brutal sadistic killer? She’s going to be killing vampires and monsters.” She shrugged. “She can be as brutal and sadistic as she wants. Worst case scenario she dies and we get another slayer that probably won’t be.”

It was a horrible thing to say, but it was very much Anya. The conversation at that point broke down into an argument and nothing was really discussed beyond that. The consensus seemed to revolve pretty much around the ‘Faith bad’ mentality.

Tara did, however, have a private conversation with Giles. And he painted a very different picture of the dark haired slayer. Faith was troubled from the beginning. He wouldn’t go into details and she didn’t ask. It wasn’t for him to say. He did reveal that for a good portion of her life, she had nothing and no one to help her through her dark times.

When she arrived in Sunnydale, she was a perpetual loner. However, no one, himself included, seemed too eager to break her of that. She was never included in anything. Now, being something of a wild child in his youth, he understood the group’s responses to her. They saw what Faith wanted them to see; a rough and tumble, devil may care street girl. And indeed that is what Faith was, but it wasn’t all she was.

Too late, Giles understood what the girl needed. But she’d already gone to the Mayor and he showed her the affection that he and Buffy should have.

He regaled her of how Faith had trouble trusting. She was afraid to let people in because they would just end up hurting her. Though he didn’t go into specifics, he did say that given what he had heard of her previous few years, she was justified in her belief. She was left alone in horrendous conditions with no one to care.

That, more than anything, he felt was his greatest failing. He accepted a lot of what happened with Faith as his responsibility. When she awoke from her coma, secretly, Giles felt her rampage almost earned. He’d never harbored any ill will because of it.

All of this ran through Tara’s mind as she held the sobbing slayer in her arms. She could feel Faith’s tears soak the front of her soft cotton shirt. “I-I’m glad you’re here,” She said, her voice barely a whisper. “I don’t th-think you should leave.”

Faith was surprised by that. She lifted her head and looked Tara in the eyes. “What?”

“I don’t think you should leave,” Tara said again. “We need help. Dawn…she’s lost her mother and sister all within the last few months. She needs someone who knows loss. You’ve lost people. I know you have. Dawn is going to need that kind of understanding. We just…none of us have that.” She gave Faith a soft smile. “And we n-need a slayer. B-Buffy would have wanted you to stay.”

Faith nodded. “I know,” She said. “But Tara, it’s hard.” Her lips trembled. “It’s so god damn hard.”

“I know it is. But…you have to do it, Faith. You’re the only one who can. We can’t do this without you.”

“Tweed said something about you guys having a Buffybot.”

“She’s a pale shadow of what a slayer is. She’s not as strong or as fast as a real slayer. She’s a substitute, not a replacement.”

“But Red and Xander…”

“They’re just going to have to learn to deal with it,” Tara said. “Whether they know it or not, you’re needed, Faith. You have to be the hero, now.”

Faith stared into the blonde’s soft blue eyes. “You know…Willow is one lucky girl.”

Tara smiled at her. “Feel better?”

“Yeah. I guess I do. It’s gonna be hard gettin’ back in the swing of things. But I guess I’ll just have to deal.”

“That’s all any of us can do.”

Faith nodded. “So what were you doing down here, anyway?” She asked as she rose to her feet and offering her hand to the young witch.

“I-I was just on my way back from the Magic Box. I n-needed to borrow a book.” Tara said.

“Well…since some good lookin’ witch talked me out of going to the bus depot, I was thinking of picking up a car. I’ll give you a ride if you wanna come with.”

Tara nodded. “O-okay.”

Faith walked along, talking with the blonde about how she’d been since the last time they spoke. For some reason, she felt really comfortable talking to the girl. She could definitely see what Willow saw in her. She was pretty, intelligent and had a wonderful personality.

Faith made her way onto the lot and perused the cars on offer. She didn’t want a hatchback or anything that looked like an electric shaver, as most modern cars seemed to. She stopped as she saw the gun metal gray 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner. She moved closer and gave it a once over. “This is sweet,” She said, happily.

Tara stood by patiently, letting Faith get her drool on. She saw the salesman moving closer. “Incoming,” She said, quietly.

Faith looked at her and followed her eyes to the man approaching. “Hey,” She said, offering her hand. “Name’s Faith.”

“Travis,” He said. “She caught your eye, huh?”

Faith nodded. “I see she’s got the Hemi badge. Is that what’s under the hood?”

He moved around and hit the release. Faith reached underneath the bonnet and lifted it up, securing it. She could see the shaker on top of the air cleaner with a big white 426 Hemi scrawled across it. “Brand new. Owner put it in just before he traded it in. Got about fifteen thousand miles on it. Barely broke in. We’ve gone over everything. It’s pretty solid. Man knew what he was doing.”

“Why’d he trade it in? What was wrong with it?” Faith asked him.

“Nothing. He said he needed something a little cheaper to feed. This thing gets crap for mileage.”

She furrowed her brow. “He did all that work and he’s worried about gas mileage?”

He shrugged. “Go figure. Figure, at least, sixteen grand for the engine alone. Not to mention all the other work he did on it. Transmission, shocks, rear end. Guy must have dropped at least twenty to twenty-five grand on it. Not to mention the paint. It’s a good job. No bubbling or rippling.” He shook his head. “If I didn’t have a wife and kids, I’d consider picking this one up for myself.”

Faith nodded. “What’s she laying down?”

“Paperwork says the Hemi should put down four twenty-five,” Travis said, grinning. “But this is a crate engine direct from Mopar.”

“So what’s the Dyno say?”

“Four-eighty and change.” He chuckled. “She goes like a bat outta hell.”

“I bet.” Faith said. “Let me hear her sing.”

“You got it.” He sat down behind the wheel, pumped the gas twice and fired the car up. It immediately roared to life. He pushed the pedal down and the motor screamed into the afternoon air. She looked everything over and nodded, happily. “So how much are you guys asking?”

“Well…” Travis said, looking it over. “Given what we gave him on trade in, she’s a steal. We’re asking twenty-five, five.”

Faith pursed her lips. With taxes and licensing, that would pretty much wipe her out. “I don’t know. You’re getting into ‘68 to ‘70 territory with those numbers.” She bit her lip. “I can get the ‘70 Hemi Roadrunner off of Craigslist for that.”

“True,” He said. “But those cars don’t come with any kind of guarantee. And the chances are the one you buy is gonna have been beat to shit.”

She had to concede that. “Touche,” She said, nodding. “Truthfully, twenty is about as high as I can go on it.”

“That’s taking a hell of a chunk off,” He said. “I don’t know if I can do that.”

“I’ve got that to spend today,” She said. “And I don’t mind having to ankle express it.”

Tara watched the pair. She had to give Faith credit. She knew how to bargain.

“But you’re talking about a twenty plus percent reduction. That’s a lot of green.”

“True enough. But don’t kid yourself. As cool as this ride is, it’s gonna do a lot of sitting on your lot, bud. Yeah, it’s got the name, but it isn’t the rig people are clamoring for. They want the old rigs. The early Roadrunners are the popular models. This will get people noticing, but it isn’t gonna attract a lot of buyers.”

Travis kicked himself for thinking that she was just a young girl with money to burn. This one  _actually_ knew her shit. “It’s still a classic muscle car…”

Faith lifted her hand to stop him. “Listen,” She said. “I’m young, not stupid. I’ve been with enough Gearheads to know the rules. People who buy muscle look for one of two things.” She held up one finger. “A project they can rework themselves…” She then held up two fingers. “A completely done rig that they don’t have to put the wrench time in on and can show it off.” She shook her head. “ _But_ , the people that buy that kind of shit are looking for the rare rigs. The old school popular classics. The rigs from the hay-day. Sixty-five to seventy. After that, the muscle car starting getting watered down and wussier.” She pointed to the car. “This, unfortunately, falls into that category. I know it and you know it.”

He sighed as he stared at her. “You know your stuff.”

“I’m a car fan. Never really had a chance to own a nice one.”

“Tell you what? I can push it down to twenty-two. I don’t really think I can cut anymore…”

“Twenty-one.” She said. “That’s fair. Six months of having this thing sitting on your lot, you’ll have to mark it down that far before someone wants to buy it, anyway. With gas prices what they are, people aren’t shelling out the green for monsters like this anymore.” She grinned. “You know I’m right.”

“Jesus, you drive a hard bargain.”

“I’m a woman. We like getting our way.”

He ran his hand roughly through his hair. “Alright. I can go twenty-one five. And believe me, we aren’t getting rich off of you by any means.”

“That’ll work.” She offered her hand. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

He took it. “Let’s go in and do some paperwork.”

An hour and twenty-five thousand dollars later, Faith pulled off the car lot behind the wheel of her Roadrunner. The engine rumbled nicely. The car felt wonderful. The four-speed transmission was tight, the clutch was responsive, the brakes were sharp, everything was perfect. She could see the dash had been redone with modern instruments, yet it still had the style of the classics. The speedometer topped out at one hundred and sixty miles an hour. She was betting the beast would do every bit of that.

She sat at the stop light, waiting. She was happy as a clam. Yeah, she was almost broke, but she was, at least, mobile.

Tara sat in the passenger seat. “You seem pretty h-happy with it.”

“I love this thing. I actually prefer this to the earlier years.” Faith said.

“Wh-why?” Tara asked. “Just out of curiosity.”

“Well, the older ones were larger and heavier. This one is the same muscle under the hood but has less to pull around. They’re a little more aerodynamic and can get a bit better speed.” Faith smiled. “There is another reason why I like the Roadrunner, though.”

Tara cocked her head. “And what is that?” She asked.

Faith looked at her and chuckled. “Meep, meep,” She said, before laying a pair of black stripes along the road.

Tara giggled lightly. She was amazed at the change in the girl. Not two hours ago, Faith was ready to give it all up and leave. Now…now she was happy.

Tara informed her that she was currently staying at Buffy’s old house. She began giving the slayer directions.

“I remember.” Faith said, her tone instantly solemn. She pulled up in front of the house and came to a stop.

“Th-thanks for the ride, Faith.”

“No problem, T-bear,” She said. “Can you, um…can you tell me where B and Mrs. S are buried? I kinda wanna pay my respects.”

Tara nodded. “Sunnydale Gardens. They’re right next to each other.”

Faith smiled and looked up to see Willow standing on the porch. Her eyes were narrowed as she looked on. “Man, she hates me.”

Tara turned and saw her girlfriend and smiled. “I’ll talk to her.” She looked back in the window. “Have a good day, Faith.”

“You too, Tare.” She returned. As the girl stepped away from the car, Faith shifted and drove off, keeping her speed reasonable. She pushed the thought of the redhead out of her mind. She had different things to worry about right now.

She stopped by a flower shop and purchased two bouquets. She made her way to the cemetery and placed the flowers on both of the gravesites. She stood quietly for a moment and knelt beside Buffy’s grave. She touched the stone and sighed heavily. “Well, I made it, B. I’m here. I’m not gonna lie and say I wanna be here, ‘cuz I don’t. I almost cracked, B. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to be what you want me to be.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry for everything I done. I guess there’s a reason there ain’t more than one slayer at a time. We’re not supposed to exist together.” She sniffed and wiped a tear away. “But we did have some fun times, didn’t we? Slayin’ together? Just the chosen two bringin’ the whoopin’.” She shook her head chuckling. “It was fun back then. I just…I guess I wish I coulda gotten over some of my shit. I’m over a lot of it now, but…it’s still hard, B. I don’t think I gotta tell you that.” She ran her fingers over the epitaph. ‘She saved the world. A lot’. Faith snickered again. “Yeah, you really did.” She began crying again. “I’m gonna miss you, B. I’m gonna miss that we never got the chance to really be friends. To be close. Back in the day, you tried. Maybe not as hard as you should, but… shit I never really made it easy, did I?” She wiped her tears again. “I want you to know that I’m gonna try for you, B. I’m gonna look after ‘em for ya. I’m gonna stumble and fall along the way, but…I’m gonna try. I don’t want you worryin’ about them.” She smiled. “Little D’s gonna grow up and make you proud.” She leaned forward and pecked the headstone and ran her fingers over Buffy’s name. “Bye, B.”

She sighed and slid over, staring at Joyce’s grave. “Hey, Mrs. S. I’m sorry it had to go down like this. You were one of the good ones. You loved your daughter, you loved all the Scoobies. You had a big heart. I wish I had a mom like you. I think…I don’t think I woulda turned out like this if I had a mom like you. I’m sorry I punched ya. I’m sorry for all the shit I did that caused you heartache and pain. When I was on the inside, I thought about you. I thought about what it would be like if you forgave me, learned maybe…maybe to care for me. Got me through a lot of hard nights, let me tell ya. I just wish I could apologize to you in person. Never get the chance, now. I guess at least you and B are in the same place. Two generations of Summers girls in heaven tellin’ everyone what’s what.” She smiled. “That’d be a sight to see, wouldn’t it?” She again ran her fingers over the name on the headstone. “I was tellin’ B that I’m gonna do my best for the squirt. I got me a purpose now. I know I ain’t the slayer that your daughter was, but I’m gonna do my damndest. She’s my priority now. And maybe if I do the two of you right by takin’ care of her, I might be able to see you both again. Then I can say this to ya face to face…or fist, knowing the temper of the Summers women. Not like I wouldn’t have it coming.” She chuckled. “You were a good lady, Joyce. A real class act. The world’s just a little darker and colder without you in it.” She leaned forward and as with Buffy’s marker, pecked the stone. “Goodbye, Mrs. S,” She said, rising to her feet.

By the time she was done, it was dark. She sighed and made her way back to her car. So engrossed in her own thoughts was she that she was surprised when she heard the voice calling from behind her. “Didn’t anyone tell you it’s dangerous out here at night?” She turned to see a vampire, game face and all, moving toward her. “Never know when something nasty might come after you.”

Faith stared at him stern faced. He came closer, his face a mask of sinister glee. He was already savoring the taste of the beautiful brunette’s blood. He could almost taste it sliding in a liquid rush down his throat. “Good. I was hoping for something to do.” She said, turning fully toward him, determined.

The beast ran the last few steps, looking to take her down. For the year and change she’d been in prison, she’d had only two things to occupy her time. The first was reading. When in her cell at night, she engrossed herself in whatever books she could to sharpen her mind. Because of that, she could pull apart and rebuild just about everything with a motor under the sun. She could also work wonders in a kitchen.

During the day, however, she did nothing but train, to sharpen her body. She’d lost a pant, shirt and half a shoe size, but she’d actually gained seventeen pounds of pure muscle. That in and of itself was impressive enough, but she’d also taken to learning Krav Maga from one of the girls in the yard. She’d always been a very quick study when it came to violence.

As the vampire came at her, she reacted with blinding speed. She took a single step and issued a fast kick directly to his groin. Dead or not, pain was pain. And groin pain, on a man, was one of, if not  _the_ worst pain that could be inflicted. He stopped mid-stride and staggered forward, doubling over, gripping his crotch. She stepped aside, hammering him in the back of the neck with a forearm, slamming him to the ground.

He hit the grass, dazed. She reached up into a tree and broke off a branch, quickly snapping it down to size. She dropped to a knee and drove it home, not giving him a chance to recover. He was a hail of dust a heartbeat later.

She walked away as his ashes were scattered to the winds. The brief conflict did little to improve her mood. She climbed into her car and drove toward the grocery store. She had nothing to eat in her apartment and needed to remedy the situation.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

Faith stared up at the ceiling of her apartment. She hadn’t slept very well at all. She was so not looking forward to the day ahead. Today she had to face all the people that she hurt. She dreaded what was going to happen. She owed apologies to a lot of people and they were gonna rip into her big time. She was pretty sure of that.

She rolled over and sat up on her bed, rubbing her face in her hands. She got up and moved to take a shower. She stopped and picked a plain black tee and a pair of jeans out of her dresser and stepped into the bathroom. She stood under the hot water letting it pour over her. She enjoyed the first shower she’d had where she didn’t have to watch her back. Prison showers weren’t exactly the safest of environments. Finally, she washed her hair and scrubbed her body down before turning the shower off and drying herself.

She was dressed and in her kitchen making a few sandwiches when her recently purchased cell phone rang. She reached over and lifted it. She saw the number and instantly smiled as she answered it. “Hello?”

“Hey, Faith.” Angel’s deep voice offered from the other end of the line. “How does it feel to be out?”

“A little weird,” She said, honestly. “Amazing what you get used to. I didn’t sleep for shit last night. Mattress was too soft.”

He chuckled. “I suppose I can see that.” He was quiet for a moment. “You’re doing the right thing.”

She sighed and leaned against her counter. “I know. Everyone keeps telling me that.”

“It’s the truth, Faith.”

“I know. I do. It’s just hard. Yesterday was the worst. I broke down and cried. Tara, Willow’s girlfriend helped me through it. She’s a good chick.”

“I’ve never met her personally, but Buffy tells me…” He stopped, letting out a breath. “ _Told_  me good things about her. She’s been a help to them.”

“I’m sorry, big guy.” Faith said. “I know you loved her.”

“Still do,” He said. “Probably always will.”

“Ain’t love a bitch?” Faith asked, chuckling.

“Some days, let me tell ya. So how are you doing?” He asked, seriously.

“I’m…I’m dealing. I never really got a chance to truly thank you.” She said softly. “I hit rock bottom. I wanted you to do it, Angel. I wanted you to kill me.”

“I know you did, Faith. I’ve been to that place. I know exactly what the bottom feels like. It’s dark, lonely and terrifying. I never had anybody to help me through it. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Especially someone who I knew for a fact still had something good left in her.”

“You didn’t give up on me. And you even stood up to Buffy for me. Not a lot of people would have done that.” She wiped a tear from her eyes. “Thank you.”

“Angel Investigations,” He said. “We help the helpless. Even if they don’t want it.”

She chuckled. “You actually went with that line?”

“It’s Cordy’s idea. She can be…persuasive.”

Faith laughed heartily. “What two things about her persuaded you, there big fella?”

“It’s not like that,” He said.

“Uh huh.”

“It’s not!” He shot back. “Wow, that sounded juvenile.”

“I wasn’t gonna say anything. Truthfully I wouldn’t blame you. You work with someone for long enough, you get attached. I know how it is.” She sighed. “I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. I owe you a lot.”

“Just do it right, this time. You’ve got a chance to be what you were destined to be. And hey, I’ve been on the receiving end of that. I know you’re built for it.”

Faith sighed. “Look, Angel…I’m sorry for all of that.”

“You needed it, Faith. Truthfully it isn’t really me you have to apologize to. It’s Wesley.”

“Oh, no.” She snapped. “Fuck him. He sold my ass out to the Watcher goon squad. What I did to him was deserved.”

Angel  _really_  wanted to argue with that. “I suppose. Though, from what he tells me, your first words to him were ‘New Watcher?’ and ‘Screw that’.”

She giggled. “Yeah, that’s about it. Come on, Angel. He’s such a dweeb.”

“Not so much anymore. He’s actually…he’s actually pretty handy to have around. He can lay it down when he has to.”

“He had to get some skills, huh?”

“He always had ‘em. He just never had a chance to use them.”

“You’ll dig this. I bought a car.” Faith said. “‘71 Roadrunner.”

“Satellite Sebring on steroids,” Angel said. “What’s it got under the hood?”

“Hemi. Four hundred and eighty ponies. It’s pretty quick.”

“I would think so. The Hemi in my GTX only puts down four hundred and thirty-three.”

A knock on Faith’s door stole her attention. “I got someone at the door. I gotta go.”

“Alright. Take care Faith. Good luck and keep in touch.”

“I will,” She said as she made her way to the door. “Later, big guy,” She said, ending the call. She looked out through the peephole and saw Xander and a rather pretty brunette standing there. The woman had a pink square box in her hand. She was smiling pleasantly. Xander didn’t look happy. She sighed and pulled the door open. She stepped aside and let the pair of them in.

Xander entered first and looked around as he did so. The girl took a step inside and turned to Faith. She held the box out to her. “We brought cake.”

Faith stared at her a moment in complete surprise. “Um…” She looked to Xander. He was just staring. “Thanks?”

“A welcome home gift. That’s what people are supposed to do.” She kept smiling. “It’s German chocolate. Girls like chocolate.”

Faith couldn’t help but grin back. She took the box and nodded. “I’m no exception. I love me some chocolate. Thanks.”

She took the cake and set it on the counter. The girl followed her into the kitchen. “I’m Anya. We’ve never actually met.”

Faith offered her hand. “Faith,” She said.

“Two things.” Anya began. “First; you are not allowed to have sex with Xander again. You had your chance and you blew it. Second; you are not to strangle Xander. He’s mine and I will stab you a whole bunch of times. Okay?”

Faith stared at her a moment before laughing. “Fair enough. I ain’t gonna go poaching another woman’s guy.” She looked at Xander. “Hot damn, I like her.”

He sighed and smiled at her. “She has her moments.”

“We should go out for breakfast. That’s what friends do.”

“Sweetie, we can’t,” Xander said. “We’ve got to go back to Giles and talk. You know that.”

“Why?” Anya asked. “She’s isn’t going to have sex with you or hurt you. Forgive her already so we can be friends.”

Faith was trying really hard not to laugh. It was rather obvious who wore the pants in the relationship. After watching Xander struggle a moment to figure out what to say, she opted to help him out. “It’s not that easy, Anya. I did some pretty terrible things and hurt a lot of people. They don’t…”

“So did I,” Anya said, simply. “I was a vengeance demon for centuries and they don’t care about that. Angel, from what I’ve been told rampaged through town for months and tried destroying the world and they’ve forgiven him. You killed what, one old man?” She shrugged. “Who cares? Are you sorry for doing it?”

“Well, yeah…” Faith began.

“And are you sorry for what you did to Willow and Xander?” She interrupted.

“Of course…”

“Then who cares?” Anya looked to Xander.

“It’s different.” He snapped.

“How?” Anya asked him, moving to stand arms akimbo.

“Because the things you did, the things Angel did…you were a demon. He was a vampire. It’s different. You were both evil. You really didn’t have a choice.”

“Didn’t I?” She asked him. “I was the one that took D’Hoffryn up on his offer to be a vengeance demon. I  _enjoyed_ what I did. And Angel? He  _chose_ to torment you all. He could have just left town and never come back. But he didn’t. He  _chose_ to stay and fight. He  _chose_ to try and destroy the world. It was a choice both of us made.” She pointed to Faith. “She went to the mayor because he was the only one that she thought gave a damn. I can’t blame her for that.”

“It…” He looked at Faith. “She tried to kill me, An.”

“So? You stood shoulder to shoulder with Angel and he tried to destroy the world.”

He was frustrated as hell. He wanted his girl to understand how he felt, but…the ex-demon bluntly raised a very good point. Anya was responsible for the destruction of countless men’s lives over the span of eleven hundred years…and she was as much a part of the group as he was. They’d forgiven her full stop and counted her among their dearest friends.

Angel had personally tormented each and every one of them for months before finally trying to have the world pulled into a hell dimension…and they’d all forgiven him.

In light of that, all the anger, all of the damnation he had felt just melted away. “She’s right,” He said, shaking his head. “You get right down to it, you weren’t anywhere near as bad as she used to be or as bad as Angel got.” He reached out and pulled her in for a hug. “I forgive you. I’m sorry we didn’t try harder to be your friends, Faith.”

She was stunned a moment. She then melted into his embrace. “You’re a good man, Xan. You deserve better than me.” She pushed him to arm's length. “I’m just glad I got ya first.” She turned to Anya. “You better treat him good or you’ll have to deal with me.”

“I treat him very well. I have sex with him a lot.” She shook her head. “I wouldn’t give that up for anything.” She smiled. “So can we be friends?”

Faith couldn’t help but laugh. “Sure, An. We can be friends.” She offered her hand.

Anya pushed it aside and pulled her in for a tight hug. “I like having friends.” She stepped back a moment later. “Let’s go out to breakfast like friends do.”

“We can’t, Anya. Like I said, we talked about this.” Xander said.

“But…” She looked from him to Faith. “All they’re gonna do is yell and be mad. That’s no fun.” She was pouting now.

“No, Xan’s right. I gotta apologize to everyone. It’s important and it needs doing. Whether they forgive me or not…” She took Anya’s hands. “At least, I know I gotta friend to help me out.”

The brunette smiled.

“We actually came to pick you up,” Xander said.

“I actually bought a car yesterday.” Faith said. “I can drive myself.”

“Oh…okay,” He said, surprised. “Giles didn’t tell me.”

“Got it last night. Picked it up and gave Tara a ride home. She found me on the street yesterday and we got to talkin’.”

“That probably pissed Willow off,” Xander said, running his hand through his hair.

Faith went back to making her sandwiches. “I just want something to eat before I go over. It’s hard to be all apologetic when you’re hungry.” She finished up and put everything away. “But truthfully, if Red ever steps out of line and loses Tara, I’m gonna be swooping in to take her, let me tell ya.”

“Willow and Tara are very much in love,” Anya said as she looked around Faith’s apartment. “I think they have sex a lot.”

Xander looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You think so?”

Faith lifted an eyebrow and looked at him. “Really? If you had either of those girls in bed with you, wouldn’t you?”

“He better not.” Anya snapped.

“Let’s just get over to Giles and get this out of the way, alright?” Xander said, moving to the door. “Nice place,” He said, looking around before exiting.

Anya nodded. “It is a lovely apartment.” She too left.

Faith pounded down her sandwiches and made her way to the garage and her car. She climbed in as she saw the gray sedan pull away. She fired up her rig and made the journey, dreading what she was going to find.

She parked and walked slowly to the door of Giles’ flat. She was so nervous, her hands were shaking. She knew this was something she had to do. If nothing else, she only had two people left to apologize to. She reached for the door to knock and stopped. She thought of what she was going to say, what she was going to do.

Willow hated her. Plain and simple. The two never really did like each other. The perky little redhead had always been so pro-Buffy it was bordering on obsession. But Faith, honestly could handle Willow. She was used to people hating her for little to no reason. So Willow’s attitude was no different. Not to say the girl didn’t have her reasons. Faith did hold her at knife point. That’s bound to fuck with someone’s head.

No, it wasn’t Willow she was worried about. She’d make her apologies and that would be that. Whatever else there was, didn’t really mean much to her. It was Dawn that she had the most concern for. Her memories of the girl were of a teen that wanted desperately to be cool. She was a lot like Buffy, to be honest, but the younger girl always thought her sister was ‘square’. Faith actually liked the girl and even after working for the mayor, went out of her way to look out for her. She smiled as she remembered what he said to her regarding the teen.

“If she had been your little sister, imagine the fun she’d be having now. She wouldn’t have to worry about losing you.” He smiled at her. “I wish I could give you that, Faith. A little sister.”

She sighed. Part of her missed him. She knew now that what he was going to do was a terrible thing, but…that didn’t stop her from missing the man he was. She understood the need to destroy the beast he was going to become.

But as she got back to her train of thought, she had to wonder what she would say to a girl that had just lost her entire family in the span of six months. The Powers that Be were some seriously cruel motherfuckers. She decided to bite the bullet and knocked on the door.

Giles answered a heartbeat later. “I was wondering just how long you were going to stand out there,” He said with a smile. He stepped aside to allow her in.

Faith took a step and stopped just inside the doorway. Xander and Anya both sat on the sofa snuggling against each other. Willow sat in his large armchair with Tara sitting on the arm holding the redhead’s hand tightly. Dawn leaned against the counter between the kitchen and living room. She stared at Faith with a mix of anger, elation and despair. Giles walked past and patted her shoulder before moving to stand beside Dawn. “Alright, Faith. You have the floor.”

She looked at everyone gathered. “Xander, An, Giles, and Tara have already talked to me. We’ve kinda come to grips.” She then looked at Willow. “We never really saw eye to eye, Red. Not on anything. You and B were tight. Almost like sisters with how close you were. The kind of friend that you give a kidney to.” Willow nodded but said nothing. “When me and B started getting into the grove, I know what you felt. At least, I think I do. You and Xan were used to being a part of Buffy’s slaying. You’d patrol with her, you’d be in on the kill with her. When she stopped doing that with you and started doing it with me, Xander here, I think understood why. But you? You didn’t really get it, I don’t think. You seemed to think I was trying to steal Buffy away from you, somehow. You didn’t get that it was because Buffy finally had someone to watch her back that she didn’t have to worry about. At least not to the degree she had to worry about you and Xan.”

Willow listened to the girl and shrugged. She gave Faith nothing to work with as far as emotion went.

The girl sighed and continued. “Because of that, you never liked me, Red. Nothing I ever did or said would have made you like me. Now, I’m not saying I don’t understand why. Where I’m from? I was a hard person to like. I spoke my mind, did my own thing and went my own way a lot of the times. But even with all of that, I never hated you, Red. I actually kinda liked you. Because you were one of a kind. I could always count on you to be you. Even when you were snoopin’ in the boss’ office…I was kinda proud of you. I mean…that took balls.”

Willow gave her moment. “Do you remember what I said to you, then? When you were standing there in his office with your knife to my neck?”

“You can choose to believe this or not, Red. But I never would have hurt you. Yeah, I decked you, but…”

“I meant every word of it.” Willow continued. “You had a hard life.” She shrugged. “So what? Being a slayer gave you a chance to something more. And you just threw it away.”

“I remember you telling me that I made my choice.” Faith said, crossing her arms. “That I had more than a lot of people.” She shook her head. “What did I have, Red? You said I had friends like Buffy. But when…when did Buffy, when did any of you invite me to do anything with you? When did any of you call me when it wasn’t just purely for backup? Do you even know what the motel room I lived in  _looked like_?” She again shook her head. “No, you don’t. You don’t know shit about where I come from or what I’ve been through. And the worst part about  _you_ , Red? Is that even now, as you sit here? You don’t care.”

“You’re right, I don’t. I don’t really care at all about murderers.” Willow said.

“That’s not true.” Faith said, crossing her arms and smiling. “You’re actually close friends with four murderers.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s start with just who’s in the room.” She thumbed toward Giles. “I heard about the Eyghon thing. The deliberate summoning of a demon and killing a guy as a result? That blood is on Tweed’s hands just as much as it is on the rest of the people that were there. And all the people Eyghon took out after?” She shrugged. “And let’s face it. He got the nickname  _Ripper_  for a reason.” She looked at Giles. “Am I right?” He instinctively began twisting the ring on his left pinky. He gave her a slight nod. “Thought so.” She turned back to Willow. “And then we have Xander’s lovely girlfriend. The ex-vengeance demon that’s killed more men than the Vietnam War. And what’s worse is that…” She pointed to Anya. “ _She_  enjoyed it. Didn’t you, Anya?” The brunette nodded. Faith went on. “She said as much this morning in my apartment. She chose to be a vengeance demon. Thousands of men…and you’ve all forgiven her for that. Then we have Angel…”

“He’s a vampire.” Willow quickly jumped in.

“So?” Faith said. “Anya made a good point about him, too. Angel  _chose_  to terrorize everyone in town. He could have left town…but he didn’t. He chose to stick around and be a pain in everyone’s ass. Yeah, the argument could be made that he was  _cursed_  with a soul and all that shit, but you all forgive him for what he did because now that he has a soul, he feels bad about it. The fact remains,  _Angel_  still killed a shit load of people and none of you seem to care.” She put her hand up to stop any reactions. “And last but not least on our list…is your  _bestest bud_ , Buffy Summers.”

“Buffy is not a murderer!” Willow snapped. “I don’t care what you say.” She looked at Dawn. The girl stood stone-faced listening to Faith. “Dawn…you know your sister. You know she’d never…”

“I want Faith to explain herself,” Dawn said simply.

“I will, squirt,” She said. “Let’s start at the top. Billy Fordham.” Faith began. “She left his ass to die in that club. She could have saved him and  _chose_  not to. She made sure everyone else got out okay, but him? She left him to get turned and immediately staked him when he rose. Sounds a lot like murder to me. And then there’s all the people that Angel killed as a result of Buffy choosing _not_  to take his ass out. From what B shared with me, she had him dead to rights and only needed to stab his ass and it would have been over and at the last minute?” She shook her head. “Couldn’t do it. That tells me that she loved him, even as a brutal killer, more than she cared for any of you.”

“Could you kill the one you cared for more than anyone else?” Xander asked. “It’s not that easy…”

“If that person were going to murder my friends and family if I didn’t? You’re god damn right I could. I’d cry and whine afterward, but I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.” Faith said.

“Buffy and Angel…”

“Oh…we’re not done yet.” Faith said. “Even in the line of duty, you all think that killing humans is a no-no. What about all the Knights of Byzantium? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, folks, but they were human. And B was killin’ ‘em left and right.” She shook her head. “You wanna get right down to it, the only three people not directly responsible for the death of a human being is you, Dawn and Xander.” Faith said.

Willow furrowed her brow and looked at Tara. The girl sheepishly looked down at the floor. “Tara’s never hurt a soul.”

“Hasn’t she?” Faith asked her. “You’re conveniently forgetting about the spell that she did that made you all unable to spot that nasty ass demon that showed up when her family came to get her. How many people did that thing kill before you all stopped it?” She looked at Tara apologetically. “Sorry, T-bear. Just tryin’ to make a point.” The girl just nodded. “Fact is this, Red. People around you have all killed someone at one time or another. Very few of us are innocent. Now yeah, if you want you can throw some us under the bus because of personal feelings, but…that makes  _you_  the selfish waste. Not me.”

The redhead looked her in the eyes. “That is a heck of a thing for you to say to me.”

“Yeah, it is.” Faith said. “Doesn’t make it any less true, Red. I am sorry for what I did to you. Holding you at knife point and all that. I would never have killed you. You can believe that or not, I really don’t care. I hadn’t have been the one that found you, the boss’s boys would have torn you apart. The only thing standing in their way was me.”

Willow stood and straightened her skirt. She moved to the door and stopped. “This city has enough cold blooded killers and monsters walking around. It doesn’t need another one.” She looked at the group. “Forgive her if you want. But just remember, that we trusted her before and look what happened.” With that, she left the apartment, not looking back.

Tara was shocked by that. “Wh-when I talked to her about coming over here, she said she wanted to hear what you had to say. I thought it was a b-big step for her. But…” She shook her head.

“Don’t matter, T-bear.” Faith said. “It’s hard to deal when someone throws all the shit like that out onto the table.” She motioned to the door. “You better go and make sure she’s okay.”

Tara nodded and left to go after her girlfriend.

Dawn stepped up to Faith. She drew back and smacked her across the face as hard as she could. Her hand stung from the impact.

Faith’s head whipped to the side. “Fuck, D,” She said, rubbing her face. “What the hell was that for?”

“That was for hitting my mom. And for taking her prisoner when I was at school.” She then pulled her into a hug. “This is for you actually being pretty cool to me when everyone else treated me like a little kid.”

Faith was a little confused but returned the embrace. “It’s good to see you again, little D.” She pushed the girl to arms length. “I’m sorry for your mom and B. It’s hard, but you learn to deal.”

Dawn nodded. “I still cry myself to sleep at night.”

“Probably gonna for a long time. I did a lot of that in the big house. Crying, I mean.”

“Yeah, but you were in prison with Big Bertha. That would make anyone cry.” Dawn said.

“Her name wasn’t Bertha, it was Tonya. And she wasn’t all that big. But she was…” She looked to Giles as he cleared his throat. “She was a very nice girl and we had a lot in common.”

“That meant she was good in the sack, doesn’t it?” Dawn looked at Giles. “I  _am_  fifteen and do have access to the internet, Giles.”

“Yeah. She was pretty good.” Faith said. “But you don’t get to learn about shit like that firsthand until you’re like, thirty.”

“Oh, please,” Dawn said. As they all looked at her, she shut down, looking at the floor sheepishly.

“It’s all good, D. Can’t stay a little girl forever.”

Anya stood up. “Can we go get breakfast now? I’m actually hungry.”

Xander sighed. Giles just pulled his glasses off and began cleaning them.

Faith shrugged. “Don’t see why not. D? You wanna go grab some breakfast with us? My treat.”

“Yeah,” She said. “Can we get Pizza?”

Giles furrowed his brow. “Pizza? At ten in the morning?”

“She’s a teenage girl, what?” Faith asked. “Nothing wrong with pizza in the AM. Perfectly viable breakfast food. Don’t care what anyone says.” She looked at Dawn. “I know a place that’s down near the docks. It’s a little hole in the wall joint, but they do great pizza.” She looked at Giles. “You in?”

“I don’t see why not,” He said, moving to grab his keys.

Xander smiled. “I do like me some pizza.”

“Everybody likes pizza, Xan-man.” Faith said as they headed outside.

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

Faith pulled into the space in her apartment and turned her car off. She climbed out and headed inside, juggling the bag of groceries she’d purchased as she pulled out her keys. She unlocked her apartment and nudged the door open with her hip, gently kicking it closed. She entered the kitchen and began putting her items away.

She was glad that things, by and large, went as smoothly as they did. Willow was still bitter, but she’d expected that. Dawn had forgiven her and was glad to see her. That, truthfully, was what really mattered to her. Buffy had asked her to look after her little sister and that was exactly what she was gonna do. Everything else paled, truthfully.

She tossed the plastic bag in the trash and looked over at the pink box that was sitting on the counter. She smiled and pulled it closer, opening it. Inside was a nice round German chocolate cake. She pulled it out and pulled a spoon from her silverware drawer. She moved to the sofa, sat down and tucked into the cake while watching some television. It was just after one in the afternoon and she was enjoying just being able to unwind for a while.

For hours, she simply sat and relaxed. After the cake was gone, she dozed off. Her phone rang, waking her from her sleep. She lifted it from the end table and answered. “Yeah. Faith.”

“Hello,” Giles said calmly. “I was thinking you should probably patrol tonight. Get back into the swing of things, as it were.”

“I was thinking that, too.” She agreed. She looked out the window and noticed that it was still a couple hours until sunset. “Gonna have to stop by your place to get some weapons, though. I haven’t had the chance to beef up my arsenal just yet.”

“That’s fine. I’ve got plenty. I’ll see you in a while.” He said.

“You mind if I come over now and we can train a little? Maybe show you where I’m at and you can see what I might have to brush up on?”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.” She could hear the joy in his voice. “But if you wish to train, better to meet me at the Magic Box. I have a room set up in the back.”

“Looking forward to it,” She said, ending the call. She could tell that he was glad to be useful again. From what he’d been saying, Buffy really started cutting him out the last couple of years. Faith had no intention of doing that. She liked Giles. He was a good man and a great Watcher. She could really tell he genuinely cared for Buffy and would have done anything for her. That was always one of the things about Buffy that grated on her. The girl always took everyone in her life for granted. Her mother, her Watcher, her friends. Everyone. But she also saw, toward the end, that it was a bad way to live. Too bad the lesson came a little too late.

She sighed and rose from the sofa. She gathered her keys and went to her car. She rumbled along the street taking everything in. Thanks to some helpful words from Tara, she wasn’t as nervous about the town as she was yesterday. It was nice, to be honest.

She pulled up to the parking lot behind the building a few minutes later. She made her way inside to see Anya behind the counter sorting items into the display cases. She looked up at the slayer and smiled. “Hello, Faith.”

“Hey, Anya.” She moved around the shop looking at the books and items on display. “Seems like Tweed’s doing alright for himself.”

“He is doing very well. I work for him. He was going to go back to England and make me a full partner…” She frowned. “But with you back, he’s staying around.”

“Sorry to screw up your plans.” Faith said, apologetically.

“It’s better this way, I think. Having a slayer in town that doesn’t have to keep getting rebuilt every night is much more efficient.”

Faith chuckled. “Buffybot isn’t quite up to the challenge of handling the hunt, huh?”

“It’s terrible, actually. She’s not very effective. She has a lot of Buffy’s combat abilities, but she’s very stupid.”

“Well, she might be useful for backup should things get out of hand. But I’ve been patrolling on my own in town before. Did a lot of that before…”

“Before you went evil and started killing people,” Anya said, plainly.

Faith stared at the girl. She wanted to be angry or offended by the statement, she really did. But the tone of the woman’s voice was just…there was no malice to it. She was simply stating a fact. She might as well have been talking about the weather for all the emotion she put into it. Faith was forced to chuckle in response. “Yeah, before all of that.”

Anya bit her lip a moment. “We’re friends, now right?”

Faith moved up to the counter and leaned on it, avoiding the glass. “Yeah. We’re friends.”

“Then I can ask you a question and you won’t get mad at me?”

Faith shrugged. “I guess so.”

“Why did you try to strangle Xander?” She asked bluntly.

Faith had to admit, it was a fair question. “I don’t really know, to be honest.” She began drawing lazy rings on the glass. “I was really screwed up at the time. I felt…I felt that people were starting to turn against me. When Buffy and I accidentally killed Finch I…”

“Wait a minute,” Anya said. “I thought you killed him.”

Faith nodded. “I was the one that stabbed him, yeah. But B was there in the alleyway with me. When he came out of nowhere like that, she grabbed and slammed him against the dumpster. He hit the ground dazed and I staked him because I thought he was a vampire.” She chuckled. “When she came to my room she was doing the whole ‘you killed a man’ spiel. That one was both of us.”

“Buffy…never told me that,” Giles said from the door. Faith turned to regard him. “Buffy always alluded to the fact that you were the one that killed him alone. She didn’t say anything about her culpability in his death.”

Faith shrugged. “Don’t matter, now. I just ain’t gonna take blame for shit I didn’t do. I got enough mistakes to make up for without borrowing more.”

He pulled his glasses off and cleaned them. “If she had something to do with it, why did you try to put all of the blame on Buffy?”

“Honestly? Because I knew that no matter what went down you all would go to bat for her.” She shook her head. “None of you would have done that for me.” She put up her hand to stop him before he could retort. “Before you give me the speech about that being bullshit, keep in mind my mindset at the time. I didn’t have a lot of reason to trust people. I was left alone in that motel and no one ever offered to help me. Why would I believe that you all would have lifted one finger to defend me when the law came looking?”

“You have a point.” Giles conceded. “We all could have tried a lot harder.”

“Even when Red was in the boss’s office snooping in those books she said that I had friends like Buffy. She never once said ‘friends like  _us_ ’. What’s worse was when Buffy came to the docks to convince me not to leave town, she said ‘I don’t give up on my friends’ and as soon as the conversation got difficult she just turned around and started walking away.  _I_ had to chase after  _her_. For someone that doesn’t give up on her friends, she gave up pretty damn quickly.”

“She wasn’t perfect, Faith. None of us are.”

“I know that Tweed, trust me. I just wanted a break. No matter where I was, what I was doing, I never got one. Yeah, I know, poor me. But none of you, not a single one of you, has had the kind of life I have. You had a wild streak back in your heyday, but I’m betting you still had access to money and family. I mean even Xander has family. People that at least give a shit. I didn’t even have that. But none of you know what that’s like. None of you know what it’s like to know that regardless of what happens you have absolutely  _no one_ to turn to if shit gets bad. To be completely and utterly alone.” She was beginning to tear up. “Trust me, Tweed, that’s not a feeling you ever wanna have. No one should know what that’s like.” She leaned against the counter and began sobbing.

Anya immediately moved around and hugged the girl. “See? You made her cry.” She said to Giles. “Shame on you.”

He looked at her incredulously. “I…We…it’s not…” He was stammering.

“It’s not his fault.” Faith said, wrapping her arms around the ex-demon. “It’s just a lot of painful shit I gotta get through.”

Anya nodded and continued to hold her. “I don’t like it when my friends cry.”

Faith looked at her and gave a weak smile. “I’m okay, An. Just bad memories.” She wiped her eyes. “I’m good.”

“You sure? I still know some people that could, I don’t know…give him syphilis or something.”

“Now wait just a moment…” Giles said, furrowing his brow.

“Nah, it’s cool.” Faith said. “He didn’t mean anything.”

Anya looked at him with narrowed eyes. “If you say so.” She patted Faith on the back before moving around to finish her work.

Giles let out a breath he was fairly certain he wasn’t aware he was holding. “Yes, well…” He said, motioning to the back room. “The uh, training area is through here.”

Faith followed him and stopped just inside. “Wow, Tweed. Beats the hell out the library.”

“I would say so,” He said, letting her take it all in. “Buffy seemed to really like it.”

“I can see why.” She moved over and pulled her jacket off. She opened the backpack she carried and pulled out the rolls of tape and began wrapping her hands and feet. Giles watched her, smiling. She was taking the training very seriously. She pulled on the pair of MMA gloves and slapped her hands together. “Alright. I’m ready. What do you wanna see first?”

“Let’s see you work the speed bag for a bit. I’d like to see where your speed is at.” He said, motioning to the bag hanging from the stand.

Faith nodded and moved over squaring with it. She took a deep breath and began hitting hit in succession; right, left, right, left. She started moving faster and faster until after a few moments, her fists were nothing but a blur. The room was filled with almost a hum as her hands impacted with the bag. She seemed to be zoning and not thinking of anything else.

Giles was visibly impressed. “Alright, that’s enough,” He said, nodding. “You…you trained in prison, didn’t you?”

She nodded. “Not much else to do.”

He pointed to the heavy bag. “Let’s see how your form is.”

“Been mixing it up since I was put away,” She said, smiling. “Started learning Krav Maga.”

He furrowed his brow. “I’ve heard of it, but…”

“It’s kind an amalgamation martial art. It takes a lot of aspects from a lot of different things. Kind of like Jeet Kune Do.”

“That’s the martial art that Bruce Lee pioneered, isn’t it?”

“In a nutshell. Like Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga is about ending the fight quickly. Barring that, it’s about giving you a reprieve so you can live to fight another day.”

Giles furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

Faith moved up to him. “I can’t demonstrate with a heavy bag,” She said. “I need something with limbs.” She motioned for him to come at her.

“Remember, I’m not a slayer,” He said, squaring off with her.

“Okay. Most attackers usually lead off with a punch. Right or left, it really doesn’t matter.” She signaled to attack her. He loosed a fairly quick right cross. She caught his wrist with her left hand and gave a sharp twist, just to demonstrate the damage that could be done. She then pulled his arm forward. He quickly overbalanced and stumbled. She turned slightly and brought her knee up, connecting with his abdomen gently and bringing her left forearm down to impact across the back of his neck. “This would have ended the fight almost immediately. Especially with the slayer strength.” She helped him back up. “Broken wrist, internal bleeding and paralyzed from the shoulders down. Just like that.”

He nodded. “Very effective. I had not thought of such a combination. I’m ashamed I never looked into it.”

Faith nodded. “And truth be told, it’s not that difficult to learn. The movements are quick and minimal. It’s about doing as much damage as possible in the shortest amount of time.”

“You said something about it being able to give you a reprieve?” He said.

She moved to the heavy bag. “Application of strength,” She said to him. She took a step and planted her foot in the bag while leaning back a bit. The bag swung nearly to the roof. She caught it as it came back down. “Getting the other guy away from you so you can get away.” She pointed to a large body pad against the wall. “Here.” She said, handing it to Giles. “I’ll show you what I mean.”

He took it and held it up.

“Brace yourself as best you can. I’m not gonna go all out, just enough so you can see what a normal guy can do with something like this.” She said. “It’s not so much about strength as it is about leverage and force.”

Giles, his interest piqued, braced himself with his left leg back and his shoulder forward to absorb the impact. “I’m ready.”

Faith took a step so she was a half a pace away from him. Her foot came up and hit the pad dead center, her knee bent. She then thrust forward, straightening her leg, forcing Giles to take several steps backward. “And there it is. By the time you recover and can come back at me, I’m long gone.”

He nodded, smiling. “That’s rather effective.”

“And Krav Maga ain’t afraid to use a guys sack as a speed bag.” Faith said. “But I won’t demonstrate that stuff.”

“I rather appreciate that,” He said.

She went over to the large bag and began working it with punches and kicks. “Of course, I also kept up on the old standbys.” Her fists and feet slammed home on the bag. It rocked and shuddered as she beat on it mercilessly.

He watched her intently and was rather pleased with what she was doing. “I must say… you really have taken your training to heart. I can’t really find any faults in your technique or your speed.”

“Like I said. Wasn’t much else to do in prison.”

“Can I ask you something?”

She stopped working and looked at him. “Shoot.”

“You’re a slayer. With your obvious abilities, why did you opt to stay in prison?”

She paced over and leaned against the wall, her arms crossed. “Why didn’t I bust out?”

“There was really nothing to stop you,” He said, quizzically.

“I stopped me.” She sighed heavily. “Truthfully, I needed the alone time. The time away from the problems and the bullshit. The time away from the world. Being in prison gave me that. It gave me a chance to sit and mull everything over.” She chuckled. “It’s not like prison is really dangerous for someone like me. Lotta girls tried their hand. Lotta girls ended up in the infirmary.” She looked at him. “I never killed anyone on the inside. Just beat a few of them down. After the first month or so, I was largely left alone.” She shook her head. “I stayed inside because it’s where I needed to be. B was right. It was where I belonged.”

He watched her a moment. He was amazed at the transformation. Before, when he’d first met the girl, she was angry. Angry at the world, angry at the people around her and most importantly, angry at herself. It was no great surprise that there was little, if any, love lost between Angel and himself. But, of the vampire, he was grateful that he was able to get through to Faith before she’d fallen too far. Her redemption was directly the doing of the ensouled vampire. And Giles would be ever thankful for it. “I think you made the right choice. You look like you’ve come to terms with a lot of your past and are working hard to make it through the rest. Just remember that you have friends now. You don’t have to go it alone anymore.”

She looked at him and nodded. “I know, Tweed. And I think this deserves saying. You’re one of the greatest men I’ve ever met. You give a damn about everyone so much that it’s bordering of sugar-coated. But you have a big heart. And I know…I can tell you’re gonna do right by me. You’re gonna be with me until the bitter end.” She gave him a warm smile. “I trust you.”

Giles was outright stunned by the admission. Faith didn’t trust. Plain and simple. She never let people in that far. “Faith, I…”

“Don’t get gettin’ all Lifetime on me. I said I trusted you. I didn’t confess eternal love or some shit.” She said, raising an eyebrow.

 _There it is_. He thought to himself. The hard-assed teenager that she showed the world whenever she forgave herself a moment of emotional weakness. “Yes, quite right.” He conceded. He understood how hard it was for her to say and accepted it as the compliment it was intended to be. “This may be a painful question to ask you but, I’m curious. Did you trust the Mayor?”

She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. “For a while there…” She looked at him. “Yeah. I did.” She shook her head. “You gotta understand, G. When I went to him, it was to confront him. Trick had tried takin’ me and B out and I wanted to look into the man’s eyes who sent him. I was gonna take him down. That was the intention. But then I learned about the whole immortal thing and…I was tired of being treated like garbage, Tweed. He invited me into his office and gave me a root beer.” She chuckled. “Who keeps root beer in a mini-fridge in his office? I mean seriously?” She shook her head again. “But he just…the things he said. He was so open and honest. He told me about his plans up front. He said that a special girl like me shouldn’t have to be wasting her life fighting a war she couldn’t hope to win. He said if I sided with him that he could make sure I never wanted for anything again. He said he knew about Finch’s death, knew we were responsible…but didn’t care. He thought we did him a favor.” She again felt tears flow. “It was…it was the first time in my life I didn’t have to worry about anything. I didn’t have to worry about where my next meal was coming from. I didn’t have to worry about whether or not I’d have a roof over my head tomorrow. He took all of that worry away.”

“It sounds…it sounds as if he honestly cared for you.” Giles said, moving over to her. “He was almost a father that you’d never had.” He moved over to the weapons locker and pulled something out. “I’ve…I’ve been hanging onto this.” He walked over and handed it to her. It was wrapped in a cloth.

Faith furrowed her brow and unwrapped it. She stood holding the knife the man had given her almost two and a half years ago. She stared at it long and hard.

“Richard Wilkins was a good man, Faith. He actually did a lot of good for this town, but…”

She nodded. “He couldn’t be allowed to ascend. I know that now. I think…when I told Buffy in the dream to take what she needed from my apartment, I was trying to help in the only way I could.” She looked at him. “You had to stop him, Tweed. I know.”

He pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry Faith. If I’d have tried harder, you wouldn’t have had to go to him.”

“Is what it is.” Faith said. “Look…” She said. “I gotta go. I’m gonna do a thorough sweep of the town and make sure everything’s legit. Hopefully, get some exercise.”

“Take your cell phone and be careful. If you get into trouble don’t hesitate to call for help. I’ll be right here waiting.”

She nodded and waved goodbye. Anya was finishing up her daily totals. “Have fun killing vampires,” She said, happily.

“Later, An.” Faith offered as she left the store and began moving around the town. She kept to the shadows, trying to watch how the people moved at night. She could definitely tell that Buffy hadn’t been making the rounds like she did. Even back when she had switched bodies with the blonde slayer, there were far more people on the streets at night. Now, the town was spartan after dark. A few people rushed to and fro, but nothing like it was. “If the people noticed, then vampires have to have noticed, too.” She trotted along the streets, moving toward the nearest cemetery. She kept her senses open.

Thus, she was prepared when a pair of vampires made an attempt to pull her into the alley. As the first undead beast’s hand reached for her jacket lapel, she was in motion. Her leg shot out to the side, slamming into his ribs, throwing him backward into a pile of trash. She immediately lunged at his companion, cracking him on the inside of his left knee with a sharp kick. As he was going down, she gripped his hair and drove his face into her knee. He tumbled back to the concrete.

She didn’t waste any time. She took two steps and slid to a stop, dropping to a knee and planting her stake right into his heart. He puffed away in a hail of dust a heartbeat later. She rolled backward across the alley and spun on her knee, staking the second vampire in a lightning quick motion.

She stood and looked about. She nodded, dusted her knees off and moved on, looking for other prey.

She spent the entire night moving through town meticulously. She was stunned to see how many vampires had taken up residence. She never dealt with more than two or three at a time, but when she finally went to the Magic Box to pick up her car, it was just after one in the morning. She’d started at just after eight at night. And she’d taken out almost thirty vampires. She was sore, tired and hungry as hell.

She stepped into the building to see Giles sitting at the table sifting through a book. He looked up and saw her limping in. “Bloody hell,” He said, immediately moving over to help her to a chair. “You look terrible.”

“Town’s in a bad way, British.” Faith said, easing into it.

Giles moved about gathering water, a washcloth and the large first aid kit he kept on hand. “Since Buffy’s death, even with all of us patrolling together…” He shook his head.

“I’ve put a hell of a dent in ‘em tonight. That’s for sure.” She said, letting him clean the cuts on her forehead and cheek.

“How many did you find?” He asked her. He dabbed at the wound on her forehead. “This needs sutures, I’m afraid.”

She nodded. “One came at me with a knife.” She reached into her jacket and pulled out the massive Bowie. “Really nice one, too. Cold Steel Recon Scout. Carbon steel blade, black finish. These things go for about a hundred and sixty-five bucks online.” She put it in the sheath and dropped it onto the table.

Giles chuckled. “How thrifty of you.”

“He was driving a 1983 Cadillac Eldorado if you’re interested. It’s still parked at the cemetery.”

“I’ll pass, but thank you,” He said as he stitched the cut closed. “American built cars are rubbish.”

“Pretty tough generalization, there Tweed. America builds some of the baddest cars on the planet.”

“Name one.”

“Current or overall?” She asked him.

“Current.” He reiterated.

“Corvette. As a matter of fact in 2012, in order to run the twenty-four hours at Les Mans, they had to de-tune the engine in the ZR1 so the other cars could be competitive.” Faith offered. “And then you have the new Viper. Largest engine ever fitted to a production car. 8.4 liter V-10 with six hundred and forty horsepower. Can’t beat that.”

“Ferrari,” He said simply. “Done.”

“Yeah, but you’re forgetting something. A good new Ferrari is almost two hundred grand. For the same performance and same list of options, you can pick up a Viper for less than half as much.”

Giles had to concede that. “But you’re naming sports cars. Name me something that is on par with, say, the BMW.”

“Cadillac CTS-V. Five hundred horsepower V-8. Zero to sixty in a hair over four seconds and costs about sixty-five grand. The BMW M5 has a few more ponies and can take the zero to sixty in just shy of four seconds, but you have to drop over thirty grand more to get it.”

Giles finished stitching and stepped back, looking at her. “How do you know all of this?”

“Did a lot of reading in prison. And I retain a lot of what I read.” She admitted. “If you really want American cars in their heyday, you need classic Detroit iron. Like my Roadrunner or Angel’s GTX. Now that’s fun.”

He smiled and shook his head. “Go home, Faith. Get some rest. You’ve had a hell of a night.”

“Yeah, I have,” She said, rising to her feet. “I’ll be by tomorrow before patrol to get some more training in.” She patted him on the shoulder before limping toward the back of the shop.

Giles watched her go and sighed. He was happy for the first time in a long time. He calmly put everything away and decided to call it a night. He listened to the rumble of Faith’s Plymouth and watched her rip past the store in a hail of tire smoke.

He closed up the shop and made his way to his car, heading for home. The smile never left his face.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

After a good night’s sleep, Faith felt worlds better. She wasn’t the least bit sore or fatigued. She considered that a very good sign. “No sign of ring rust,” She said, happily. She went in and took a nice, long hot shower. She let the water pound on her pale skin. “Gotta work on my tan. Starting to look like a damn vamp.” She scrubbed down and rinsed before stepping out to towel herself off. She’d just got dry and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top when there was a knock at her door.

She moved over and looked through the peephole to see Dawn standing in the hallway with her arms crossed, looking around. She smiled and pulled the door open, letting the girl in. “Hey, little D.”

“Hey, Faith.” The girl said, taking the small condo in as she entered. “Wow. When I was told what happened in here, I’d have the thought the place leveled.”

“Yeah, me and B really did a number on it.” Faith said. She pointed to the huge arched bay window behind the bed. “We took that entire wall out when we threw down. Put holes in a lot of the walls, too. Watcher’s council must have put together a pretty penny to get the damage repaired.” She moved into the kitchen. “I was just fixin’ to make breakfast. You want somethin’?”

“Whatcha makin’?” The teen asked.

“Wasn’t really sure.” Faith said, taking at look through her cupboards. “Biscuits and sausage gravy sound good?”

“That does, actually. My house usually consists of pancakes in funny shapes or cereal. I don’t think I’ve eaten meat for breakfast since mom passed away.” The girl said. “I really miss her.” She hopped up on the counter. “Buffy too. Despite how much of a pain she was.”

Faith nodded as she mixed the dough for the biscuits together. “I was pretty tore up when I lost my Watcher. She was pretty good to me.”

“How’d you get over it?”

“Spent a year and a half in prison.” Faith said. “I wouldn’t suggest it. At least not for you.”

“Was it really bad?” Dawn asked, wanting to take her mind off of her sister and her mother.

“At first. You have to deal with the HBIC’s.” Faith said.

“HBIC? What’s that?”

“Head bitch in charge. Every prison has one. I forget the skank’s name, but she wanted me to be her new meat. I told her to take a hike. First month or so, she tried her game. When I put her in the infirmary for the umpteenth time, she and her bitches left me alone. After that, it was the boredom. But a nice library, a killer gym, three squares a day and a movie every third Sunday. Could have been worse.”

“What movies?” Dawn asked.

“Last one was Glitter.” Faith stopped a moment. “Guess it couldn’t really have been worse.”

“I was gonna say. That movie sucked.”

“So what brought you by?” Faith asked.

“Willow and Tara were arguing when I got up. I didn’t wanna deal with it, so I left. Figured I’d come over here and bother you.”

Faith chuckled as she dropped the biscuits onto a cookie sheet and put them in the oven, setting the timer. “You’re always welcome, D,” She said, pulling her large skillet off the hanger above her stove. “You wanna grab me the sausage out of the fridge?”

Dawn hopped down and did as she asked. “Where’d you learn to cook, anyway?”

“Prison.” Faith offered. “Forewarned is forearmed. That’s probably gonna be the answer to a lot of things. I spent my time reading cookbooks and stuff. I also read a lot of Chilton’s manuals.”

“What’s a Chilton’s manual?”

“I read how to work on a lot of cars. Worked the library a lot and spent my weekends in the kitchens, cooking.”

“Prison actually doesn’t sound that terrible,” Dawn said, shrugging.

“Well, for a slayer, it wasn’t. Being able to put your fist through a cinderblock wall tends to make things a little easier. For a lot of the girls, it wasn’t so pleasant. Tonya, the girl I liked was in for vehicular manslaughter…she had it really rough.”

“What happened to her?”

Faith sighed as she cooked. “She’d been there for about a year before I got there. She was doing a four-year hitch but was eligible for early parole if she kept her shit clean. My first cellmate was there for literally a month. Exactly thirty days from the day I got in. She was some weird Mexican chick that didn’t speak a lick of English, I swear. We never really interacted. She left me alone, I left her alone. You do a lot of that in the big house. Anyway, Tonya was made my cellmate after that. She was pretty cute. Short stocky, serious set of tits and a pretty nice ass, truth be told. Little thick for my tastes, but she wore it well. It was genetic for her, I could tell. She worked out almost as much as I did and never dropped a pound. Felt kinda bad for her truthfully. But I tried not to get involved in her shit. Live and let live was the way I wanted to play it. Anyway, I was out in the yard just lifting weights and doing my own thing. It was after I’d been taken off the menu, as it were.”

“After you’d had to lay the smack down?” Dawn asked.

“Pretty much. Tonya was just there using the bench when a bunch of chicks came up and grabbed her and dragged her off. There was like, six of them and I knew they were running for the big honcho. Apparently, from what I’d heard through the grapevine Tonya was the main bitches…god, I wish I could remember her name. I wanna say…Melina? Melinda?”

“Melissa?” Dawn asked.

“I don’t…”

“Miranda?”

“That’s it.” Faith said. “Miranda. Anyway, Tonya was Miranda’s favorite toy. She liked women to fight when she took them.”

“She raped other women?”

“It’s worse than that.” Faith said. “I don’t wanna give you nightmares, kid.”

“Jesus,” Dawn said. “Faith, I’m fifteen years old. I’m the same age Buffy was when she started slaying vampires. I’m not three. I do have access to the internet, you know. I’ve watched Hostel and all the damn Saw movies.”

Faith shrugged. “Fair enough. Miranda would have her girls beat the living shit out of the girls… _then_  she’d rape them.” She shook her head. “She’d done it to Tonya before.”

“So you were her knight in a shining prison jumpsuit?” Dawn asked her.

“Yeah. I stomped some mud-holes in some asses and got her away before she was hurt. We kinda became inseparable after that.” She smiled. “That night she thanked me real good.”

“I bet,” Dawn said. “How much longer is that gonna take.”

“About five minutes.” Faith said as she mixed up the gravy. “So how are you doin’?”

“Okay, I guess,” Dawn said. “It’s hard. I cry myself to sleep a lot.”

“I know how that is.”

“Tara and Willow are trying, though. They take pretty good care of me.” She kicked her feet and looked down. “They seem to be arguing a lot, though.”

“Why?” Faith asked her. “Or is it just lover bullshit?”

“It’s about magic. Willow uses it a lot more than she used to. Tara thinks she shouldn’t use it so much.”

“Why?” Faith asked. “I mean, I’m no expert on the magical arts and shit, but if she’s using magic, so what? It would be like people telling me not to use slayer strength to lift my couch and vacuum under it.”

“Tara says that using magic too much can open the door for the dark forces…or something like that. I’m kinda lost on it, myself.” Dawn said. “There’s a couple of reasons, I think. One is that magic is unpredictable. If you try a spell and you’re not strong enough to cast it, bad things can happen. A couple years ago, there was a boy named Jonathan Levinson…”

Faith lifted her head and furrowed her brow. “Dark hair, short – like B’s height, maybe a little shorter – kinda dumpy?”

“That’s him,” Dawn confirmed. “He did this spell that made him like, super awesome sauce. He was supposed to be like, some sort of Superstar or something.”

“Sounds like a good spell to know.”

“Yeah, except it creates this…demon monster counterpart and when it gets killed, the spell gets broken,” Dawn said. “You can be awesome, but a demon has to rampage around killing people.”

“Yeah, that would be a downside.” Faith admitted, taking the biscuits out. “How many you want?”

“Two please.”

Faith plated up the girl’s food. “What does that have to do with Red’s magic use?”

“The unpredictability,” Dawn said, taking the plate. “Willow has never  _really_  had anyone teach her magic. And all of her power comes from her emotions. With everything that’s happened in the past couple of years, Tara’s afraid that Willow isn’t exactly stable enough for extended magic use.”

“She’s afraid Red will bite off more than she can chew and hurt herself or someone else.” Faith said, flatly.

“This is really good,” Dawn said, taking a huge bite.

“Thanks.” Faith said, moving to the table.

“Tara wants Willow to stop using magic so she can teach her the basics from the ground up. Willow thinks she doesn’t need to learn what she already knows.”

“So they just keep going around and around with it?”

“Pretty much. It’s the same argument over and over. I’m getting kind of tired of it, to be honest. I’ve been thinking of talking my dad in LA and moving there with him for a while.”

“I’d be sad to see you go.” Faith said. “But if you think that’s what you gotta do…”

“I don’t really want to.”

“You can stay here with me anytime you need to.” Faith said. “I mean, I only got the one bed, but I’d let you have that and I’d sleep on the couch.”

“I know you’re capable of a lot of things, Faith, but I really don’t see you molesting me in my sleep.”

“I flail in my sleep.” Faith said. “Night terrors,” She added sadly.

“So did Buffy. When we painted my room a couple years ago, I had to sleep in Buffy’s bed. She threw me across the room. I slept on the floor the next night.” Dawn said, smiling.

“She elbowed me in the eye.” Faith said. “I stayed the night on Christmas Eve. The first and last night I slept with Buffy Summers.”

“She told me about that.” The girl snickered. “Can I ask you an honest question?”

“Sure.”

“Did you and Buffy ever…?” Dawn let the question hang.

“Did we ever what?”

“You know.”

“Have sex?” Faith asked.

“Yes, Faith. Did you and my sister ever have sex?” Dawn asked, exasperated.

Faith simply shrugged, continuing to eat. She said nothing.

“I asked Buffy after you two swapped bodies. She just looked at me all pissed, but she didn’t answer me, either.”

“That’s between me and B.” Faith said, giving the girl nothing to go on.

“You’re as bad as she is,” Dawn said, finishing her plate.

“You own a cell phone?” Faith asked her.

“No. Willow won’t buy me one. Says it’s too expensive.” She sighed. “Money is actually really tight right now.”

“Why?” Faith asked. “I mean…you’re mom owned the house, right?”

“Yeah. But the property taxes are past due from April, and all the bills are actually pretty expensive.” Dawn sighed. “It’s hectic right now. Tara is giving some money to help out and Willow works part time at the Magic Box, but extra money is no go.”

“You want a cell?” Faith asked.

“Well, yeah!” Dawn said. “I wouldn’t want anything extravagant.”

“Good, because I couldn’t afford one if I wanted to. I’ve got a bit of scratch.” She bit her lip. “Tell you what? Why don’t you come to work for me?”

“What do you mean?” Dawn asked.

“I’ll bring you over a couple days a week. You do whatever I need you to do. You give me a few good hours and I’ll put a bit of cash in your pocket and get you a cell phone. What do you say?”

“Doing what kind of stuff?”

“Sharpen stakes, do my dishes, vacuum my floors…as soon as I buy one, now that I think about it. Won’t make you do my laundry, though. Nasty shit can get on there.” Faith said. “Things like that. That way Willow and Tara can’t give you any grief about where the money is coming from.”

“Can you afford that?” Dawn asked.

“Given that the Watcher’s Council is…” She thought a moment. “Gimme a sec.” Faith said, getting up from the table.

“What are you doing?” Dawn asked.

“Calling Tweed,” She said, picking up the phone and dialing.

“Hello?” Giles answered.

“Hey G. I have a question.”  
“Of course, what did need?”

“It’s not me. It’s little D. The Watcher’s Council is paying me, right?”

“Yes.”

“Were they paying B?” She asked.

“Not as far as I know,” He admitted.

“Well, given that B was on the roster for something like six years, don’t they owe her some kind of nest egg or something? For past services?”

“She’s dead, Faith.”

“Yeah, but she’s got a little sister that could really use the money.” Faith said. “I’ll talk to them if you don’t want to.”

He chuckled. “I don’t think Travers would even take your phone call, but you’re welcome to try.”

“Gimme his number.” Faith said, grabbing a pen and paper. She jotted it down and nodded. “Got it. Thanks, Tweed. Wish me luck.” She said, ending the call.

“You’re gonna call the Watcher’s council?” Dawn said. “They’re not gonna listen to you.”

“It’s worth a shot.” Faith said. “It’s only fair. They, at least, owe B for the time she clocked.” She sat down and dialed the number.

“Quentin Travers office.” A perky female voice answered. “How may I direct your call?”

“Hello. I’m Faith Lehane. The current active slayer. I was hoping I could speak with him.” She said.

“Give me a moment. I’ll see if he’s available.” She was immediately placed on hold.

She listened to the tedious elevator music and sighed. “I hate hold music.”

After a few minutes of being on hold, the woman returned to the line. “Just one moment while I transfer you.”

“Hello, Faith.” A rather regal British voice said. “To what do I owe the…pleasure?”

“It’s nice to finally speak to you.” She offered. “Thank you for getting me out of prison. I owe you a lot. I just wanted you to know that I have every intention of making things right. And I am sorry for the trouble I caused.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. I accept your apology. Is that what you called me for?”

“Not really. I mean it needed to be said, but…there’s another reason I’m calling. You guys are paying me for my slaying. I understand I’m the first you’ve ever done this for and that’s awesome as heck. You wouldn’t believe how hard this gig is on your clothes.”

“I suggest getting together with Rupert and seeing about getting some sort of body armor. We do offer him quite a bit of compensation to outfit you.”

“That’s not a bad idea, actually.” Faith said. “Thanks for the insight.”

“That’s why we’re here,” He said, softly.

“I was hoping to play to your sense of compassion.” Faith began. “Tweed tells me…”

“I’m sorry…Tweed?” He asked.

“I’m a nickname person. I rarely use full names.” Faith said. “Giles. He tells me you really don’t have a sense of compassion.”

“Have you ever been in a position of authority, Miss Lehane? Specifically, where people’s lives depend on you making the right decision?”

“Does being the head trustee in the prison library count?” She asked her voice light.

“I’ve heard horror stories of some prisons, so I can’t honestly answer that. I suppose it is possible.” He offered, lightheartedly. “But the fact is, Faith, as the director of an organization as large as ours, I am often not afforded the luxury of a sense of compassion. At the end of the day, I have to make the decisions. As the Americans say, the buck has to stop somewhere.”

“I hear you. It’s tough to have to make the hard decisions. I respect that you have the Spaulding’s to do it”

“I appreciate that. Now, what was it you wanted to ask me?”

“I’m not buckin’ for a raise or anything. I was just…I didn’t really think about how to ask this.” She said.

“Just ask, Faith,” He said, his voice a little sharp.

“Buffy fought the fight for a long damn time. Did a pretty good job of it, too. You can’t argue that.” She said.

“No, I suppose I can’t. She lacked discipline and was a bit of a…”

“Bitch?” Faith asked.

“I was looking for a softer word, but yes. She could be. A trait common to American teenage girls, I’m finding out.”

“I’m tryin’.” Faith said, sheepishly.

“That you are,” He admitted.

“I was wondering if the council would be willing to cough up some back pay for her. Just for the times, she was active and on your roster. I understand for a year and change, she broke away from you guys and wasn’t really communicating with you…”

“If we were to offer back compensation, who would we pay this money  _to_ , exactly?” Quentin asked.

“Buffy does have a little sister.” Faith said. “And right now, she’s got B’s, sorry, Buffy’s best friend and her girlfriend footing Dawn’s bills. That just ain’t right.”

“Doesn’t the girl have a father?” Quentin asked. “Pardon me for saying this, but…the girl would be better off with him, anyway.”

Faith couldn’t fault him for thinking that. Hell, she was pretty sure he was right. It wasn’t on a Hellmouth for one thing. But Dawn was used to living in Sunnydale. She was a part of the life, now. And she would want to stay close to the people she knows. “You’re right. She probably would. But that would take away from the life she’s used to. She has people here that care for her and wanna do anything for her. I made a promise to Buffy that I’d look after her…”

“When did you make this promise to her? According to the records, Buffy had never visited you in prison.”

“This is gonna sound really strange, but…the night Buffy died, I had a dream about her. She came to say goodbye and tell me that she forgives me for what I did. She asked me if I’d look after Dawn. I promised I would.”

“I see.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but…I felt her there. Like she was in the room with me. We slayers could feel each other. Kind of like how we can feel vampires. It’s weird. But it was her.”

“You’re talking about quite a bit of money, Faith. To be delivered to the hands of a fifteen-year-old girl.”

“I know, I do. But if you put like…me or Giles in charge of it, we can make sure it gets used wisely. She deserves it, Quentin. You know she does. She lost her mother and her sister all within the past year. We’re talking a hair over a hundred grand. That’s not all that much, truthfully. Not in today’s economy.”

“It’s actually one hundred and two thousand five hundred dollars.” He offered. He was quiet for a moment. “I suppose it would only be fair. I will contact Rupert and let him know that an account will be set up in Dawn Summers’ name and that he will be in charge of its distribution.”

Faith grinned widely. “Thank you, Quentin.”

“Don’t mention it,” He said. “Ever. I have a reputation to maintain.”

Faith chuckled. “Not a word. Have a good day. And thanks again.”

“My pleasure. Have a good evening, Faith.” He ended the call.

Faith put the phone down and looked to Dawn. “The council is setting you up an account that’s gonna have all of Buffy’s back pay in it. One hundred and two thousand, five hundred dollars all told. Giles is gonna be in charge of it.”

The teenage girl sat there a moment, before leaping forward and hugging Faith. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou,” She said, quickly.

“Hey, don’t mention it, squirt. I just thought it was fair.” She pushed Dawn to arm’s reach. “At least, you can get caught up on all your bills and shit. But we can still go out and get you a cell phone. You don’t mind a pay as you go deal, do you?”

“No. Considering that I’m relegated to a can with a string, right now, I’ll take what I can get.”

Faith changed into a pair of jeans, but kept the same tank top and put on her Doc Martens. She made her way to the car and looked over at Dawn. “You’re fifteen, right?”

“Just turned, why?”

“Anyone started teaching you to drive, yet?” Faith asked her as they climbed into the car.

“No,” Dawn said. “I’m surprised they’re not buying me feetie pajamas and asking if I want a bedtime store or my ‘binky’.”

“It’s not that bad.” Faith said. “When you’re the youngest, it always feels like you get treated like a baby.”

“You were an only child, weren’t you?” Dawn asked.

“Yeah. Had a couple of friends in Southie that were like that. Had older siblings and always felt like they treated like they were two.”

“That’s the way they treat me,” Dawn said, crossing her arms. “I can’t go anywhere without an hour-long interrogation. I can’t just go and hang out if I want…they all think they can tell me what to do.”

“They’re just trying to look out for you, kiddo. It’s not to bust your balls. They worry. It’s some sort of unwritten rule or something. Authority figures  _have_ to be a pain in the ass. I think they get docked pay or something when they’re not.”

Dawn giggled. “That’s funny. I know they’re just trying to help, but…they could back off a little. Mom died of a brain aneurysm and Buffy died fighting a hell goddess. I don’t have a brain tumor and I’m not a superhuman killing machine that fights monsters.”

“That last one is why they worry, squirt.” Faith offered. “Me and B, we have the slayer going on and, well look at it. I was put in a coma for ten months and B died…twice.” She sighed. “I’ve had my head broke quite a few times since being called as a slayer. We’ve got an edge that you don’t have. And let’s be honest, when the sun goes down, this isn’t exactly the safest town in the world.”

Dawn wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. “I just don’t like getting treated like a child.”

“Hate to break it to ya, pipsqueak, but you’re always gonna be a child. You could be forty and everyone older than you is gonna treat you like you’re six. It’s the way of the world.” Faith looked at her. “Sadly, I’m actually only four years older than you. Buffy was two years older than me.”

“Really? You’re only nineteen?”

“Will be in December.” Faith offered. “You could go a little easier on the girls, D.”

“What?”

“Well…I’ve gotta say this, the attitude you have now is one of the things about B that really pissed me off. She was always takin’ the people around her for granted. Her mom, G, Xan and Red. She took all of them for granted. She had people to help her, to stand with her when shit got bad.” She shook her head. “I didn’t have that. Even when I first got here. I…didn’t fit in with them. I was a bit of a loner, but…I would have given anything to have the kind of life she had. To have people to give a shit, there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t have done for that. So right now, yeah, it seems that you’re getting smothered and babied, but believe me, kid. It beats the hell out of the alternative.”

“I guess,” Dawn said. She saw what Faith was getting at, she really did. She remembered when Faith first came to dinner. She thought the girl was so cool. She was wearing leather pants, was showing enough cleavage to make a pornstar blush and she talked up a storm with Dawn. When Buffy and her mom left the room, her and Faith picked through the food on the table and flung pieces of broccoli at each other. Dawn giggled.

“What’s so funny?”

“I’m just remembering the first night you came home with Buffy. Her and mom went into the kitchen and we had a broccoli fight. I landed a piece covered in ranch between your boobs.”

Faith laughed. “I remember that. That was fun.”

“You always treated me good. Even when you went all evil, you were never really mean to me.” Dawn said. “Why did you hit my mom?”

Faith sighed. Little moments like this grated on her. She wanted nothing more than to forget the terrible things she’d done, but she couldn’t. As she’d said to Giles, they were a part of her, a part of her history. “When I first woke up, I was angry. At everyone, at everything. When I was asleep, I kept dreaming about the Mayor. He was so good to me. You have to understand, D he was the  _only_  person since Diana that seemed to really give a damn. Whether he really did or not, I couldn’t tell you, but…when you’re aching for someone to care, to show just a little compassion, you latch onto whatever you get. You stop caring about the endgame.” She sighed. “And Buffy and pals took him away from me.” She cast a quick glance at Dawn. “Make no mistake I do understand why they had to. I might not have then, but I do now.” She pulled into the parking lot of the Wal-Mart and sat there. “After dreaming about him, I woke up…and I was back to being alone, scared and pissed off. I blamed Buffy for that. I wanted to get even with her and I…I went after your mom to draw her out. I shouldn’t have, it was a terrible thing to do.” She chuckled. “Christ, B kicked my ass then.”

“Well, in your defense you were just coming in off of a ten-month benching,” Dawn said. “Every time you two fought, it was pretty much even. And she had a lot more experience than you did.”

“Better natural athleticism, too.” Faith said. “You’re sister was the best.” She looked at the girl. “I’m sorry, D.”

Dawn looked at her and broke down in tears, sobbing heavily. “Why?” She cried. “Why’d she have to die?”

Faith held her as she wept. “I don’t know, D. I wish I did. I wish it could have been me instead of her. I would have taken her place if I could have.”

“Everyone says that,” Dawn said.

Faith pushed her to arms length. “Dawn, look at me,” She said, sternly. “Look at my eyes.”

Dawn lifted her head.

“I would have made that leap if it would have saved your life and that of your sister. I mean it. All the shit I’ve done, all the bad choices I’ve made…my life wasn’t worth as much to world as Buffy’s is. I’m a piss poor replacement. If you still had B then things would be a lot better. I can’t change any of that, but god damn do I wish I could. I’m not your big sister. I’m not your mother. But right now…you’re all I’ve got. You’re the only purpose I have now. Because your sister asked me to look after you.”

“You really mean that, don’t you?” Dawn asked, wiping her eyes.

“Damn right I do. I’m not the best at anything. I was only ever good at two things. One of those was slaying. And B did it better.”

“Not really,” Dawn said. “She died. Twice.”

Faith chuckled. “I suppose I can’t argue with that. But she was so good that she came back from the first one.”

“Thanks to Xander,” Dawn said. “He gave her CPR.”

“I heard about that,” She said. “Alright. Enough of this crying bullshit. Time for some retail therapy.”

“Now you’re talking.” Dawn offered, climbing out of the car.

A couple hours later, Faith was lucky to have a thousand dollars to her name. But Dawn had a really nice Galaxy S4 Smartphone – Faith splurged a little for the teen – and an inexpensive laptop. The slayer also picked one up for herself, given that her condo had Wi-Fi. The pair went out to lunch. Faith took Dawn to the waterfront and a large open parking lot beside a massive warehouse.

“Alright.” Faith said, from the passenger seat. “This is a four-speed transmission. Left to right on the floor, can you tell me what the pedals are?”

“Clutch, break, gas,” Dawn said.

“Good deal. Now, this has a monster under the hood. Which means it’s gonna have serious power. It’ll get up to speed really fast, so take it easy, okay?”

Dawn nodded. “Alright.”

Faith went through the steps, explaining how to drive her beast. To Dawn’s credit, she did rather well. Faith never let her get out of first gear, but Dawn was okay with that. She spent a few hours, letting the teen drive around the lot, taking it easy.

It was after six in the evening when Faith dropped Dawn off at home. “Remember if you need to get away for a little bit, gimme a call. I’ll come and grab you.”

“Thanks, Faith. I really do appreciate it.” She hugged the girl and climbed out of the car, heading inside.

“Later, D.” Faith said, before taking off, leaving a pair of long black stripes down the street.

Dawn watched her leave and turned to go into the house. As soon as she walked in Willow was right there glaring at her. “Where were you?”

“I went to Faith’s,” Dawn said. “I just wanted…”

“I don’t want you going over there.” Willow snapped. “She’s dangerous.”

“Okay, first. You don’t get to tell me where I can and can’t go. Second, Faith is only dangerous if you don’t have a pulse or have, I don’t know…horns or scales or something. I have a pulse and I’m decidedly horn and scale free, so she really isn’t dangerous to me.” Dawn said back.

“Look, we’re responsible for you…” Willow began.

“Willow, stop!” Dawn shouted. “Just stop it! Okay, I’m not a child. I can take care of myself. I don’t need a damn babysitter. I’m the same age as you guys were when you started fighting monsters, and no one treated you like you were babies.”

Tara stepped up beside Willow. “We just w-worry about you, Dawn. That’s all. You have to understand, Buffy’s death has been hard on all of us, not just you. I mean she was your sister and that had to cut the deepest, but…we’re just trying to keep your best interests at heart.”

“How?” Dawn asked. “By not letting me go anywhere? By not letting me have any friends?”

“We don’t mind you having friends. We just don’t want you hanging around psychotic murderers.” Willow said, angrily. “Faith was in jail for murder, Dawn. She’s a bad person.”

“I find it kind of funny that you’re the only one that thinks so,” Dawn said, pushing past her to go upstairs. “I don’t need a mother, Willow.”

The redhead watched her go and sighed. “No. You need your older sister is who you need.”

“Buffy’s dead, Willow. We have to accept that. The Buffybot isn’t…”

“I’m not talking about the Buffybot,” Willow said, glaring up the stairs.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Tara said. “Buffy’s gone.”

The redhead stared into her eyes a moment, then turned and went into the kitchen. Tara shook her head and climbed the stairs. She needed to talk to Dawn.

Willow picked up the phone and dialed a number.

“Hello.” A perky female voice answered.

“Anya? This is Willow.”

“Hi, Willow. What can I do for you?”

“There’s something I need to talk to you about. You can’t tell Xander. At least, not yet.”

“Okay.” The girl said, simply. She had no problem keeping a secret if she had to. That was the main reason Willow was broaching this to the ex-demon first.

“Do you know what the Urn of Osiris is?” The redhead asked, smiling.

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

Tara stopped on the stairs as she heard Willow dial the phone. She knelt and listened as the girl began speaking.

“Do you know what the Urn of Osiris is?” She heard Willow ask.

Her eyes grew a hundred times. “Willow, no.” She said, softly, turning and running down the stairs. She trotted into the kitchen and reached for the phone. “NO!” She shouted.

Willow was shocked as the normally shy girl lunged at her, trying desperately to pry the phone from her hands. “Tara…” Willow snapped, pulling it back out of reflex. “Stop it!”

“No, Willow,” Tara growled. She was a farm raised girl that was far more used to physical labor than the redhead and was thus a bit stronger. She managed to pull the phone away from her girlfriend and stagger back against the refrigerator, clutching it to her chest and breathing heavily. She lifted it up to her ear. “H-Hello?”

“Tara?” Anya asked.

“What was Willow asking you to do?” The Wiccan asked.

“Dammit, Tara. Give me back the phone.” Willow moved toward her.

Tara put her hand up and Willow was forced back a step. “Stay over there.” She squeaked. “Tell me, Anya.”

“She didn’t say I couldn’t tell you. She was asking about the Urn of Osiris. She asked if I knew where to get one.”

“Well, forget it. Don’t look for it. I know what it’s used for and we’re not doing that.” Tara said.

“Oh. Okay.” Anya said. “Have a nice day.” She ended the call.

Tara stood, staring at her girlfriend and the hurt angry expression in her eyes.

“I can’t believe you,” Willow said. “We have a chance to bring her back and you won’t even let me try.”

“Because it’s wrong, Willow. I know what spell you’re going to use. I wanted to do the same thing for my mother. But you can’t.”

“Yes, I can. I’m strong enough…”

“It’s not about you being strong. It’s about what’s right.”

“What if Buffy was pulled into a hell dimension? Did you ever think of that?” Willow asked, moving forward.

“Y-yes,” Tara said. Tears filled her eyes. “Dammit Willow, yes I did think of that. And I know the answer, but you won’t see it. You never see it. You let your emotions control everything you do. Everything you think and everything you hear.” She was crying now. “You won’t listen to reason.”

Willow wanted to scream, to shout, to rage…but the sight of her love crying cut through all of that. “How do you know?” She asked, keeping her voice as calm as possible.

“B-Buffy’s body,” Tara said, her voice barely a whisper. She was still clutching the phone to her chest like a lifeline.

Willow stepped closer and rested a hand on Tara’s shoulder. The meek sandy haired girl flinched away from her. Willow had to swallow past the lump forming in her throat and took a step back. “What are you saying?”

“Wh-when Angel was killed by Buffy he was t-t-t-taken to a h-hell dimension, right?”

Willow nodded. Buffy had said as much to her when she returned from Los Angeles. “And w-was there a body left when he was taken?” Tara asked.

“No. He was just gone.”

“Th-that’s how you know Buffy is simply dead.” Tara offered softly. “When she was… lying there, she was smiling.” Tara let out a sharp hiccupy sob. “She isn’t in hell, Willow. This is Buffy we’re talking about. There is no way, after everything she’s done, that she could be in anyplace but heaven. She deserves peace, Willow.” Tara stared into the girls’ eyes. “You know I’m right.”

Willow kept her eyes on those of her girlfriend. Tears rimmed her own. “It’s just…” She couldn’t help it. She broke down into strangled sobs. “I miss her, Tara. I miss my best friend.” She sank to the floor. Tara dropped the phone and held her as she wept. “She shouldn’t have died. It’s not fair. It’s not right.”

Tara had to agree with the redhead. It wasn’t at all fair. Buffy was barely twenty years old. She had a long life ahead of her. She was taken far too early. “I know,” Tara said, holding the girl tightly. “But we have to let her go. She’s done her part. She fought for a long time and has gone through so much. We should be happy that she’s finally getting the peace she deserves. She’s together with Joyce again.”

Willow bawled as she nestled her face against Tara’s chest. “I just wanted her back. I wanted everything like it was. The spell…”

“Magic can’t fix everything, Willow. I…I know I always tell you to use your magic more sparingly. It’s only because I worry. It’s dangerous. The more you use it, the more you want to.” She likewise sobbed. “And the more you use it, the more you start believing that it can solve everything.” She pushed Willow to arms length. “It can’t fix this.”

“But what if there’s a chance…?”

“There is. A very real chance. But we both know that Buffy died nobly and is in heaven, watching us. You know that. Do you really wanna take that away from her, just so you can see her again? So Dawn can have a sister again? After all of that, what kind of hell would this world be to her?” Tara asked. “What kind of friends would we be if we ripped her out of a place of love and peace and dropped her back into the Hellmouth?”

Willow stared into Tara’s eyes. “We’d be horrible friends.” She admitted. “I just miss her so much.”

“I know you do. I do, too. So does Dawnie.” Tara bit her lip. “Strangely…so does Faith.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “I don’t…”

“Stop.” The blonde said, her voice firm, but kind. “Please, Willow. Just stop. Faith killed. She took a man’s life in cold blood. There’s nothing anyone can do about that. But she also served her time. She paid the price for what she did. She’s square with the law again. She’s here, now and trying to help. She’s not asking you to be the best of friends. She is genuinely sorry for what she did. She just wants to make up for the terrible things she’s done.”

When last they spoke, deep down, Willow saw that Faith had changed. She wasn’t so naïve that she couldn’t see the regret that the slayer felt for what she had done. But Willow wanted Faith to pay for her mistakes. She didn’t really know how or why, but she did want to. And thus, she was loathe to forgive the girl. “I just…I don’t wanna forgive her.”

“I know you don’t. She hurt you. She hurt a lot of people. But she was right. We’ve all hurt people with the things we’ve done. Even me.”

“But you had a reason,” Willow said. “You were scared and…”

“And Faith wasn’t?” Tara asked. “I had a reason for the spell I did, but Faith had reasons for what she did, too. The only difference Willow is that you agree with my reasons, but don’t agree with hers.” She brushed the girl’s red hair from her eyes. “Why don’t you just talk with her? Get to know her as a person. Maybe you might find something in common.”

Willow had to admit, she never really did get to know Faith all that well. When she closed her eyes, she could still feel the cold steel of the knife pressed against her throat. But that was years ago. A lot has changed since then. She sighed and slowly nodded her head. “Maybe… we can invite her over for dinner, just me you and her. I don’t feel comfortable with having her in the house alone with us and Dawnie. We can have her stay at Janice’s house or something.”

“Tomorrow night,” Tara said. “I’ll make your favorite.” She offered smiling.

“Vegetarian Lasagna?” Willow asked. “With…”

“Yes, I’ll make macaroni salad with bacon bits,” Tara said.

“Okay,” Willow said. “I’ll talk to her.” She hugged her girl. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” The Wiccan said back. “Why don’t you make the phone call and invite her? It would go a long way to making her feel better.”

“Not exactly sure if I wanna make her feel better,” Willow said. At Tara’s disappointed face, she shrugged. “Well, I’m not. Just being honest.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Tara said, sighing.

“But I’ll call her and invite her. Word of warning, slayers eat  _a lot_.” Willow said.

“You call her and I’ll go talk to Dawn.” The blonde stood and moved to go upstairs.

Willow, from her spot on the floor, pulled the phone over and dialed Faith’s number.

“Hello?” The slayer answered. When Willow didn’t say anything, Faith repeated herself. “Hello?”

“Hey, Faith.” She said, quietly.

“Who is this?”

“It’s Willow.” The redhead said, softly.

“Red? Is everything okay? You sound like you’ve been crying.” Faith paused for a beat. “Oh, shit. Did something happen over there? You need me to come over?”

“What? No. Nothing…everything’s fine.” Willow was surprised at the girl’s reaction.

“It just…well, shit. You don’t cry, Red. Not unless you got a damn good reason. Even when I was holding you at knife point, you didn’t cry. So I figured somethin’ was up. I promised B I’d take care of you all.” Faith said. “I aim to keep my word.”

“What?” Willow asked. “When did you talk to Buffy?”

“Don’t worry about it, Red. What did you call me about?”

“No, wait. I wanna know what you mean. When did you talk to Buffy? Is it when she was in LA? Did you guys makeup or something?”

“Not really. She said I belonged in jail, so I turned myself in. But, the night she died, we shared a slayer dream together. We’d only done that a couple of times. It was bizarre.” Faith drew a deep breath. “I guess…the Powers that Be gave her a chance to say good bye before she left. She asked me to take care of Dawn and all of you guys. To look out for you. She said that everyone made mistakes and that she forgave me. She wanted me to do right this time. I’m trying to, Red. I really am. I know you’ll never like me, but at least let me do what I promised B I’d do. That’s all I’m asking. Hate me all you want, but…don’t make it harder, please.” Faith was pleading now.

“Tara wanted me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night,” Willow said simply. “She’s making vegetarian lasagna. It’s one of her specialties.”

“Do  _you_  want me there?” Faith asked, point blank. “I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.”

Willow sighed heavily. “I…never really got a chance to know you, Faith. You were in town, but you were always kind of a loner. So we never really got a chance to talk.”

“And you want to?” Faith asked her.

“I feel I should, at least, know where you’re coming from. I’ve been told a few things about you and…and I said some things I shouldn’t have. I know I said that you had a lot more than some people, but maybe I was wrong. I guess I should find out before I mouth off again.”

“I promise I’ll be honest, Red.” Faith offered. “Should I bring anything?”

“Whatever you’d like. Tara also makes a good macaroni salad with little pieces of bacon in it. It’s really tasty.”

Faith smiled. “Every now and again, I’d spend a weekend with my aunt in north Mass. She made hers the same way. Tara put shredded cheese in hers?”

Willow pursed her lips. “No, but that actually sounds really good.”

“It’s pretty awesome.” Faith said. “I’ll think of something. Thanks for the invite, Red. I know it’s pretty big step for you.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Willow said, ending the call. She sat the on the floor and leaned back against the counter. Slowly a content smile eased across her face. She closed her eyes and relaxed a moment.

Thus, she was startled when the Boze sound system powered on. “…now nothin’ can take you away from me, we’ve been down that road before, but that’s over now, you keep me comin’ back for more. And baby, you’re all that I want, when you’re lyin’ here in my arms, I’m findin’ it hard to believe…we’re in heaven.” As suddenly as the radio came on, it powered back off.

Willow raised her eyebrows. “Buffy?” She asked, quietly to the room.

 

Faith leaned back on her sofa and smiled. “Wasn’t expecting that.” She said, happily. She looked at her watch and decided to get a good patrol in for the night. She called Giles, letting him know she was heading out.

“Oh, there was something I was thinking about.” Faith said. “I talked with Quentin and he was telling me…”

“You actually spoke with Quentin Travers?” Giles asked.

“He was actually a decent dude. He suggested getting some body armor. Something to keep me from getting tore up too badly while I’m out hunting. It was a good idea. He said that I should get together with you to get some.”

“I have no idea how to get a hold of that kind of thing,” Giles admitted.

“You can pick some up online. The good stuff runs about seven hundred bucks.” Faith offered. “If you’re willing to throw down, I can get it ordered.”

“I suppose that would be a wise purchase.” He looked around his apartment. “I suppose I should have Willow over to teach me how to use a bloody computer. I’m thinking there’s a lot on this…internet that I’m missing.”

“Oh, Tweed. You have no idea.” Faith said. “Just wanted to run that by you.”

“It’s a rather good idea, Faith. I’ll see about allocating the funds for it. Come by after your patrol and we’ll go over it.”

“You got it. Later.” She ended the call and got to her feet. She tucked a couple of stakes into her pockets and strapped the sword to her back under her jacket. She took her keys and headed out to her car. She rolled on, slowly watching around.

It didn’t take her long. She pulled up and hopped out of her car. She trotted into the alley, watching as the pair of vampires terrorized the young girl. The girl was cute enough. She had short strawberry blonde hair and was wearing a mini skirt with a low cut blouse on. Her heels must have been at least four inches. She was terrified as hell.

“Hey, boys. Is this a private party, or can anyone cut in?” She said as she sashayed toward them.

Both vamps looked to be relatively new. One of them broke off from the girl and moved toward Faith. “Oh, no. We can definitely use another hot date.” He said smiling.

She moved up and ran a finger along his chest. “Oh, trust me, twinkie. The date doesn't get any hotter than me. Why, a roll in the hay with me just might kill ya.” She said smiling. “Too bad you won’t get that far.”

He looked at her strangely. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

It was the last thing he said as she slammed the stake into his chest. “Amateur.” She looked at his partner. “This is the part where you run.”

He tossed the girl to the side. “No. This is the part where I kill you.”

She snickered. “I’m dyin’ to see that.”

He came in fast. She sidestepped, driving her foot down onto the side of his knee. She then spun and caught him with a reverse crescent kick to the face, slamming him back onto the concrete. She pulled out the stake and methodically dusted him.

The girl cowered on the ground sobbing. “They-they disappeared. They turned into dust.”

Faith nodded. “Yeah. Vampires do that.” She said. She lifted the girl to her feet. “Where do you live?” Faith asked. “I’ll give you a lift.”

The girl nodded emphatically.

She helped the girl into her car and settled down beside her. “You okay?” Faith asked.

The girl wrapped her arms tightly around herself and gave a slight nod.

They moved along slowly and arrived momentarily at the girl’s house. Faith escorted the girl to her door and nodded to her. “You shouldn’t be out late at night alone.” Faith said to her.

“M-my boyfriend was supposed to walk me home, but we had an argument at the club and he dumped me. He wouldn’t walk with me and I didn’t have enough for a cab.”

“What an ass.” Faith growled. “Well, just make sure that you stay inside after dark. Were you at the Bronze?” She nodded. “Look, if you have to walk home alone, don’t. There’s a group that likes to hang out there. A redhead chick, a pretty sandy blonde, a cute brunette and a kinda beefy dorky guy. They’re always together. You know who I’m talking about?”

She nodded again.

“If you don’t see me, but see one of them, ask ‘em to walk you home. They’re good people and know what it’s like out here, okay?” Faith said.

She smiled. “Okay. And thank you.” She said. She leaned forward and pecked Faith on the cheek and quickly moved into the house.

Faith turned and stopped dead in her tracks. The long black trench coat and bleach blonde hair caught her full attention.

“Hey, Spike.” She said simply.

He turned to look at her. “Who…oh, bloody hell.” He said, moving back away from her. “What the devil do you want?”

She raised her hands. “Don’t worry, blondie, I’m not gonna do anything to you.” She moved over and leaned against her car.

“What are you doin’ back in town?” He asked. “I thought you were sent to the big house?”

Faith nodded. “Was. I did a year and change. Watcher’s got me out. Said I wasn’t doin’ any good in jail. If I wanted to make it right, I had to be out here doing something worthwhile.”

“You right messed with everyone last time you were here. I was pissed at the scoobies then.” He said. “I was gonna find you and aim you their way.”

Faith sighed and looked at him. “We’ve um…met before.” She said.

“I’d remember you, doll.” He said, crossing his arms.

“I was wearing a different body at the time.” Faith said, grinning.

He leaned against the car beside her. “Pity.”

She shrugged. “You seemed OK with it.”

He turned and looked at her moment. He then nodded his head, pursing his lips. “The body swap. With Buffy.”

Faith chuckled. “She fill you in on that whole deal?”

He nodded again. “She told me it went down. Failed to mention who was driving her skin around, though.”

Faith looked at him. “I may have said a few things…”

He looked into her eyes. “Like you could ride me at a gallop ‘til my knees buckle… squeeze me ‘til I pop like warm champagne. That’s not the kind of thing a man forgets.”

She shrugged. “Should’ve known it wasn’t blondie behind the wheel. She’d never throw down like that.”

“I realize that, now.” He said, shaking his head. “That really messed with my head.” He smiled wolfishly. “Don’t get me wrong, slayer, that little conversation gave me spank fodder for weeks, but it still hurt in the end.”

Faith bit her lower lip and nodded. “I know it did.” She looked into his eyes. “I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t exactly in my right mind.”

“I can relate to that.” He said. He pulled out a cigarette. He looked to her. “Care for a smoke?”

She shook her head. She did pull out a Zippo and light it, holding it for him.

“Thanks, bint.” He took a long drag. “So does the intrepid band of misfits knows you’re back in town?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I’ve made my peace, for the most part. It’s tough goin’ but I’m makin’ progress. G tells me you’ve been doing right by little D.”

“When those monks made her, they did it right. Everyone was pulling for her when the big bad was after her. Even me.” He looked at her. “Surprised you didn’t bust out to help.”

Faith frowned. “I wasn’t told what was goin’ down until I had a dream about B the night she died. She came to me and told me to take care of little D for her.”

“She said she could share dreams with you. Woulda been nice havin’ another slayer on board.” He said, staring up at the sky.

“I’d have broken out, had I known.” She sighed and stared at the ground. “Maybe that’s why she didn’t tell me. She wanted to keep me right where I was.”

“Makes sense. Didn’t really know where your head was at then.” Spike admitted.

“Fair point.” She said to him. “I’m tired of hurting people. That’s why I’m apologizing to you. It was fucked up of me to say that shit to you.”

“It’d go a long way to healin’ if you acted on it.” He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She gave him a wry grin. “You never know.” She said to him. “Not tonight. Got things on my mind.”

He raised his hands in surrender. “Can’t blame a bloke for tryin’.”

She patted him on the shoulder. “You’re actually alright, Spike.” She looked at him. “Any luck getting that chip removed?” She asked.

“No.” He said sadly. “Pretty much given that up.”

She shook her head. “That sucks, bro. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind that you can’t feed on people, but it still sucks having a hunk of technology preventing you from being what you are.”

He looked at her with whimsical eyes. “You know, no one has ever said that to me and actually meant it.”

“Look, Spike. All I know from what I’ve seen is that since you’ve been chipped, aside from the rocky start, you’ve been out here fighting demons with the rest of us.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t give a shit what Buffy or any of her friends say. You’re one of us.”

He looked at her sincerely. His gaze was a mix of anger and joy. “You do know that if I didn’t have this chip in my head I’d be feeding on you right now?”

She smiled. “Spike. If you didn’t have that chip in your head, you’d have been dust a long time ago.”

He nodded, taking a long drag off his smoke. “I suppose I can’t argue with that.”

“Look, I gotta go. I just wanted to let you know that I am sorry for what I did to you. It was fucked up and I shouldn’t have said it.” She said, leaning in and pecking him on the cheek.

“No worries, bint. I’m glad you thought enough of me to apologize. Means a lot.” He said with a smile. “See ya ‘round.” He moved off down the street. He stopped and looked at her car. He nodded his approval and continued on.

Faith climbed back into her car and headed off. For hours, she drove around town, keeping an eye out. She pulled to a stop at the head of an alley. She had to do a double-take. “B?” She said, not believing her eyes. She quickly climbed out of the car and ran down the alley.

Buffy ran after a vampire, tirelessly. Faith was several yards away and was closing slowly. The vampire turned and pushed a dumpster on the way. Buffy took two steps and jumped onto the trash bin and off of it to tackle the vampire to the ground.

Faith could hear the sounds of fighting behind the dumpster. She likewise leapt, landing on top to see the vampire breaking a bottle against Buffy’s head. The glass cut her, but instead of blood, there was the glint of metal and sparks. She was dumbfounded.

Buffy ran tried to run after the vampire but slammed into a stack of barrels…and kept walking into them. “Vampires…beware.” She said, over and over again.

“Okay.” Faith said, dropping down from the bin. “That’s just creepy.” She moved over and put her hand on the robotic slayer’s shoulder.

Buffy instantly turned, gripped Faith’s arm and flung her into the piles of debris. “Vampires beware.” She said again.

Faith rolled out of the way as the huge barrels rained down, barely missing getting smashed. “Christ. Never let it be said you don’t move like B.” She said, moving to get up. She was near to her feet when the Buffybot’s boot caught her in the stomach and propelled her into the air. She managed to get her feet under her and stagger a couple of steps. “Stop!” She shouted to the robot. “I’m not a damn vampire.” Faith said. “I’m a friend, okay?”

The blonde robot stopped. “You are?” She cocked her head. “I don’t know you.”

“My name if Faith. I’m a slayer, just like you…just like the real…other…just like Buffy.”

“I’m Buffy.” The robot said. “Vampires, beware. For I am Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” She said, lifting her arm into the air, triumphantly.

“Yeah, okay.” Faith said. “You’re um…damaged, see.” She pointed to the robot’s forehead.

“I must get back to Willow in case of damage.” The robot said, blankly.

“Look. I’ll drive you, okay? I have a car over here.” Faith said, gently taking Buffy’s arm. “Come with me and I’ll get you to Red…Willow.”

The robot smiled brightly. “Okay.” She followed Faith to her car and stood, staring at it. “I seem to be malfunctioning. I cannot…get in.”

Faith sighed and helped her into the car. She then drove quietly to Buffy’s old house. “Can you get out okay?”

The robot looked at her and nodded. “I think so.” She said. She turned and opened the door, climbing out. She and Faith made their way to the front door. The Buffybot opened it quickly and saw Willow standing in the opening between the kitchen and the living room. “Willow!” She shouted walking toward her. As she moved through the living room, she knocked over a side table with a vase on it. Spike, who happened to be sitting on the sofa caught the vase.

Willow stepped into the room as the bot walked into a wall.

“What happened?” She asked as Faith came in behind the blonde android.

“Buffy 2.0 here got into a scrape while she was on patrol.” Faith offered. “Some vamp brained her with something and took off. She was walking into shit. I let the vamp go in favor of getting her home in one piece.”

Willow nodded, positioning the bot in front of her. “Thanks for bringing her back.” She examined the gouge on the robots head.

“I think my feet are broken,” Buffybot said, chipper.

“Eh, looks more like a short in the navigational system.” The redhead led the bot over to the sofa and sat her down. “Faith could you get me a flashlight? It’s in the…”

“Drawer beside the stove?” She asked. “I remember.” She moved into the kitchen.

Spike rose from the sofa, putting some distance between him and the bot. “Make sure to get her fixed, bint. There are enough things in Sunnydale that go bump in the night.”

“I will.” Willow offered. She pulled up the bot’s shirt and peeled back the skin over her stomach, revealing various wires and circuitry. “Spike’s right.”

The Buffybot looked up at him smiling. Faith entered a moment later with the flashlight. “Thank you for thinking of my safety, Spike. You know I admire your brain almost as much as your washboard abs.”

Spike suddenly gave a pained look. Faith raised an eyebrow. The vampire leaned in closely to the redhead. “I told you to make her stop doing that.”

Willow sighed. “I did. I mean, I thought I got all that stuff out of the program.” She pulled her laptop out and connected it to the front of the bot.

“Well, you’ve got her opened up, fix it.” He snapped.

Willow typed away. “Sure. I mean, I have a lot of work here, but I’ll see what I can do.”

He moved to grab his coat. Buffybot watched him move with rapt interest. Faith knew that look. She’d worn it a few times herself.

“Faith can you shine the flashlight right here?” Willow asked, pointing to a part of the robot’s anatomy.

The slayer moved over, watching as Spike quickly left the house. “What’s his deal?”

Buffybot looked at Willow. “Did I say something wrong?”

Willow shook her head. “No, it’s not your fault.”

“I think Spike stopped liking me,” Buffybot said, pensively.

“That’s not true. He-he thinks you’re swell.”

“Then how come he never looks at me anymore? Even when he’s talking to me.” The bot actually seemed anxious.

“He’s just grouchy, double B. Don’t let him get to you. He’s goin’ through a lot. You…you remind him of someone that he lost.” Faith explained. “He digs you. Just…not in the way he used to. You’re friends now.”

The Buffybot looked at Faith and nodded. “Okay.” She said, looking back at Willow.

The redhead smiled at her and looked at Faith, nodding. A silent thank you for the save. “Now, just relax. I am gonna make you good as new.” She said to the bot, working out the kinks. “I promise.”

Faith watched the display and couldn’t help but feel a tad uneasy. The bot looked just like Buffy. Down to the way, the girl bit her lip when she was sure no one was looking. Even the eyes were the same. Whoever built the girl knew what they were doing. It made Faith’s chest tight. “You think you can fix her?”

“Pretty sure,” Willow said. “I had to damn near rebuild her when Glory got done with her.”

“Willow? Can I ask you something?” Faith asked.

The redhead was quiet for a moment. “I suppose so.”

“Were you and…were you in love with B?” She asked. “If you wanna tell me to fuck off, that’s cool. I just…you seemed to be pretty protective and tended to get jealous as hell whenever anyone got close to her. Even Angel.”

Willow stayed silent for a long time. Faith had almost decided to abandon the question altogether when Willow’s soft voice gave her her answer. “I didn’t know it back then.” She looked up at the dark slayer. “I never said anything. I never felt I had the right. Oz and I…we were, we just weren’t clicking anymore. I started really noticing Buffy. I thought about it, then Riley came along and then I met Tara. I love her, Faith. More than anything.”

“Hey, I’m not doubting that, Red. I’m glad for ya. I was…I was a bitch to Tara when I was wearing Buffy’s body. I apologized to her a couple days ago. She was cool with it. She said something about being able to read my aura.” Faith shrugged. “Whatever the hell that means.”

“She was actually the one who noticed that you were in the wrong body.” Willow offered.

“Not surprised.” Faith said. “You’re a lucky girl, Red. Tara’s a good catch. If I met someone like her back then, who knows how things could have turned out?”

“I know you’re trying to do the right thing, this time around, Faith.” She looked up the girl again. “I’m willing to give you a chance. Buffy would have wanted me to. Everyone else seems to think you’re on a path to redemption. If you are, that’s wonderful. I hope it works out, but if you’re somehow trying to play us…”

“Red, I want you to think about something.” Faith knelt beside her. “When I was doing all of that terrible shit…was I ever really that creative about it? I was, hell I still am the ‘hit it until it goes away’ type. I’m not the planner, Red. I’m not a schemer. I’m a doer. You all are seriously giving me credit that I didn’t earn. The body swap thing was the Mayor’s idea. He just left me the damn thing. Hell, in the end, even he abandoned me.” Faith chuckled. “He left me that device that caused me and B to switch bodies. He left a DVD with it. He told me that my days were numbered. That there wouldn’t be a place for me in the world.” She felt a tear slide down her cheek and wiped it away. “He gave up on me. Just like almost everyone else.”

Willow looked at her. “We didn’t give up on you, Faith. We just…”

“Yeah, Red, you did.” Faith said. There was no anger in her voice, just cold acceptance. “You, B, Tweed, Xander…all of you gave up on me. You gave up on me before I ever got close. I can’t really blame you, though. I never really made it easy. It’s not like you guys didn’t have your own bullshit to deal with.” She rose to her feet. “You got this?”

Willow just stared at her. “I guess.”

“I’m gonna head to Tweeds and report in. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Faith said, moving to the door.

“Faith?” Willow said as the girl moved to leave.

“Yeah?”

The redhead sighed. “Thanks for coming back. I know it can’t be any easier on you than it is on us.” She paused a moment. “Just…please, whatever you do…don’t hurt any of us. We couldn’t take it. Not right now.”

“That ain’t why I’m here, Red. You can believe this or not, it is your choice, but I  _am_  truly sorry for what I’ve done. I said this to little D earlier. If I could have taken B’s place and been the one that jumped…if I could have died for her, I would have. I’m not the slayer she was. I’m not the person she was.”

“If she came to you and asked you to look after all of us, then she saw something in you. Something good.” Willow said. “Maybe, in time, I’ll see it, too.”

“I hope so, Red.” Faith said, leaving the house.

“I like her,” Buffybot said. “She’s nice.”

Willow looked at her and continued her work. “She wasn’t always.”

“Spike says that he was a really bad man before, too. But he’s nice.” She said. “And firm and sexy…”

Willow reached up and pressed a certain section of the back of the robot’s neck. The bot slumped awkwardly. “I don’t need to know that about Spike.” She said, shaking her head. “I really have to get that out of your system.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

Willow sat in the early hours of the morning going over the programming changes she’d made to the Buffybot’s systems. “How do you feel?” She asked the robot.

“Fine, Willow. Thank you.” The bot said, happily. “Was there something wrong with me? You put me to sleep last night.”

“Oh, there was a few things that I had to fix. But it looks like you’re better now.” She unplugged the laptop and closed the panel on the front of the bot’s stomach. “So…” Willow bit her lip and decided to go for it. “What do you think of Spike?”

Buffybot shrugged. “He’s a vampire. A good one, but a vampire. As long as he doesn’t eat my friends, I won’t slay him.”

Willow smiled and nodded. “Very good.” She put the laptop in her bag. “I’m gonna shut you down for a while, but only to preserve power, okay?”

“I don’t want to get tired,” Buffybot said. She rose and turned, lifting the hair from the back of her neck. “Here you go.”

Willow found the depression and switched the robot off. She sighed and shook her head. “I should have had her walk into the closet, first.” She gripped the robot around the waist and began wrestling her stiff form toward the coat closet beside the door.

“Whoa, hey Wills. Let me help you with that.” Xander said, coming up from the basement. He stepped over, wrapped his thick arms around the bot and hefted her from the ground. Willow immediately opened the door and pushed the coats out of the way. He then set the robot inside and turned her about. “There we go. All tucked in for the day.”

Willow closed it and looked at him. “So how bad is it down there?”

“Well…I got the leak plugged temporarily. It should last a while, but there’s no getting around it. Soon it’s all gonna have to come out.” He bit his lip.

She leaned against the sofa and sighed. “We can’t afford that.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I know you didn’t wanna hear that. But there’s only so much I can do.”

“That’s alright. Thanks for coming to check on it for us.” Willow said, patting his arm. “If not for you, I don’t think this house would still be standing.”

He looked around and shook his head. “No, that’s not true. This old house is pretty damn sturdy. It just needs some maintenance now and again.” He smiled at his friend and hugged her. “That’s what you have manly friends for.” He looked at his watch. “I’ve gotta get to work. I’ll see ya later.” He left the house with his toolbox in hand.

Willow watched him go and sighed heavily. Dawn thundered down the stairs. “Xander just leave?” She asked.

“Yeah. He has to go to work.” The redhead offered. “You want somethin’ for breakfast?”

“I was gonna have a couple of pop tarts,” Dawn said. “Not in the mood for much.”

“Um…did Tara fill you on in what we planned to do tonight?” Willow asked, biting her lip as she followed the teen into the kitchen.

“You’re having Faith over for dinner. I already called Janice. Her mom said I could come over and spend the night. But I gotta bring popcorn. We’re gonna watch scary movies. Can’t have scary movies without popcorn.”

“True,” Willow said. “One year for Halloween, Xander wanted to have a scary movie night. He wanted to check out Phantasm and ended getting Fantasia.” She poured a cup of hot water from the carafe and mixed up some hot chocolate.

“Ooh,” Dawn said, giggling. “How terrifying.”

“Hey, in the right context, hippos in tutu’s can be plenty scary,” Willow said, trying not to laugh. Dawn snorted as she put the pastries in the toaster. “Can I ask you an honest question?”

Dawn stood and stared at the toaster. “Come on…” She whined, poking. “I’m hungry.” She looked at Willow. “You can ask me anything.”

“What do you remember of Faith?”

“Well…” Dawn said. “The monks made sure she was actually pretty nice to me. When she first got to town, she was just so…street, ya know? She had this badass quality. I always remember thinking that she would be able to kick Buffy’s butt. At the time, I thought Buffy needed it, you know? But she kinda treated me like the kid sister she always wanted. She never treated me like I was a burden.” She looked at the redhead. “Not like you guys did.”

Willow sighed. “I’m sorry, Dawn. I…I didn’t really know how to deal with that kind of thing. I didn’t know what it was like to have to suddenly have a little kid around.”

“See, that’s the thing. You guys saw me as a little kid.” Dawn turned and grabbed her pop tarts. “Ooh, hot.” She said, bouncing them in her hands before dropping them on a saucer. “You guys were all, ‘oh man, it’s Buffy’s little sister’.” She looked at her. “I mean, yeah, I was only a tween at the time, but I still would have liked to feel like more than a big hassle.” She took a bite. “Faith never treated me like that. When you guys were at the Bronze, Faith would always come and pick me up for shakes or something. Usually, we’d just hang out, talkin’ and stuff. She told me a lot about her life back in Boston. She told me a lot of funny stories about the things she did when she was traveling.” She finished her first pastry and began eating her second one.

“So…you know what her life was like before she became a slayer?” Willow asked.

“Yup,” Dawn said. “She made me promise not to say anything and I haven’t. Why do you think I was so pissed off at  _you_  guys when she went to the Mayor and not mad at her? Because I saw how you all treated her. Truthfully, I’m surprised you’re even willing to be in the same room with her. Even now.”

Willow crossed her arms. “Okay. I have to ask. And I’m gonna do my best to not interrupt you. How did we seem to treat her, in your opinion?”

Dawn sighed. “When she first got here, you guys really didn’t seem to know what to make of her. The fact that she was a slayer was…I think it kind of creeped you all out. She was like, this constant reminder that Buffy died once. It was just weird. Then Faith came to dinner with us…she was just really cool. She got along with mom really well, I liked her. I mean, I guess she was getting along with you guys pretty well. But Buffy just came back into town after having to kill Angel and things were just…I don’t know. She made the  _Single White Female_  comparison.” Dawn shrugged. “I mean, Faith was just…she was real. She didn’t sugar coat anything. I mean, I know why mom liked her. She wanted Faith to be the slayer and wanted Buffy to quit so she could live a normal life. But Buffy just seemed to think Faith was trying to take her life away. That’s probably when Faith really began to take a step back. She felt that maybe she couldn’t really be friends with you guys because she would piss Buffy off.”

“We didn’t want her to feel that way,” Willow said. “I don’t think Buffy did, either.”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I just know what Faith told me and what Buffy was saying. And then the whole Taquitos thing…”

“Taquitos?” Willow asked. “What are you…you mean Kakistos?”

“Yeah, that one. When you guys found out that she had him on her tail, you guys all kinda got really mad.”

“Well, he was actually a pretty nasty vampire from what Buffy said. We should have been told.”

“Yeah, you should have. But did any of you stop to think about how Faith felt? She was who he was hunting. She came for help. Besides, telling a group of people you just met that there’s an ancient powerful vampire gunnin’ for you isn’t exactly the best way to make friends. She’d been screwed over so much that she really didn’t know if she could count on you guys for help.” Dawn got herself a glass of orange juice. “From then on, you guys just called her when you needed her. You never really invited her to do anything. Not even Buffy. All they did together was patrol.” Dawn chuckled. “You guys even left her alone on her birthday while you were out at the Bronze. I borrowed some money from mom to buy a little cake and that watch she’s wearing now for her. You guys never even thought to ask her what her birthday even was.” Dawn finished her juice. “It’s December 14th, in case you were wondering. Three days before mine.” She put the cup in the sink and ran water in it. “What I saw was you guys leaving Faith in a ratty motel room in the worst part of town and not giving a damn about her beyond needing her help when trouble came along. Other than that, you didn’t seem to care at all.” Dawn looked at her. She could tell the redhead was mulling it all over. “That’s how she saw it, too. She told me back then that, just once, she’d like to rate an invite to have a night out with you guys. I guess part of why she didn’t come to you guys more, was my fault.”

“Why would you say that?” Willow asked, puzzled.

Dawn sighed. She could feel tears rimming her eyes. “Because…because at the time I wanted someone that was just mine, you know. Buffy had you and Xander. I didn’t have anybody.” She began crying. “That’s why I told Faith that you guys…you didn’t like her. That she was weird and stuff.”

Willow was shocked beyond belief. “That’s why Faith…”

“That’s why she never tried to hang around with you guys. That’s why she was always kind of cold to all of you. Why she was such a loner.” She looked at Willow, pleading. “By the time I realized what I was doing, it was too late. She was ready to leave town and Buffy went after her and I…I felt so bad, but no one knew what I’d done.” She sank to the floor, sobbing. “I’m so sorry, Willow.”

The redhead was…she wasn’t sure what she was. She’d always thought Faith was just a loner because that was the way she was. Faith seemed kind of distant, but to know that Dawn had said that they didn’t want her around was… “Dawn how could you?”

“You all treated me like I was this terrible burden. I was just Buffy’s bratty little sister.” She wiped her eyes roughly. “None of you wanted anything to do with me. Faith  _liked_  me, Willow. She listened to me. She gave me advice when I asked for it. She didn’t treat me like I was stupid.” She rose to her feet and again wiped her eyes. “She was mine, dammit! All of you had someone but me!”

“Oh, Dawnie,” Tara said, from the living room. She moved over and hugged the girl.

“It’s not your fault, Tara. You weren’t there.” Dawn said, returning the embrace. She looked at Willow. “I’m sorry. I just…I wanted a friend so badly I was willing to do anything. Buffy was getting all the attention and all the praise. I wasn’t getting diddly squat.”

“It’s alright, Dawn,” Tara said to her. “Faith will understand, I’m sure.”

Dawn nodded but continued to cry. Tara continued to hold her, trying to calm her.

Willow just stared at the teen, angrier than she’d been in a very long time. It wasn’t often when you learned that everything that you felt about a person was due in large part to someone else’s lies.

 

Faith stood at her counter, peeling and slicing apples as Judas Priest’s  _Heading Out To the Highway_  blasted out of her shelf system. She danced along with the music, enjoying herself. She pulled the large glass baking dish she’d just purchased out of the plastic bag and set it aside. She threw the apple slices into a bowl with some vanilla and lemon juice. She tossed it about and moved it aside.

She layered the apples in the bottom of the pan and began working on the second mixture. She added her cinnamon, oatmeal, and brown sugar, cutting cubed up butter as she did so. When she was satisfied, she nodded and scooped the mix out over the apples. She smiled and took the pan and wrapped it in cellophane.

She kept the bathroom door open and, while singing along with  _Diamond Eyes_ by Shinedown, enjoyed the feel of the hot water. She’d been out of prison for almost a week and she still reveled in the feel of it. Probably explained why she took two showers a day. She stepped out, dried herself and went about pulling out what she’d wear for the evening. She decided on a simple navy blue short sleeve button down, a pair of black slacks and her Doc Martens, polished and presentable. She sat down at the vanity in her bedroom and put on some soft red lipstick, a bit of eyeliner and a hint of dark eye shadow. She thought about a bit of blush but decided against it.

She looked at her watch, noticing that it was just after five. Tara wanted her there at six. She nodded and went about making sure she had her wallet, keys, and cellphone. She also packed her duffel with a few stakes, the cross necklace she’d purchased, a canteen filled with holy water – courtesy of the local church, who didn’t even bat an eyelash when she came in to fill it. They were quite happy when she dropped a twenty dollar bill into the collection plate on her way out – and her long handled Celtic short sword, a gift from Giles.

She grabbed the apple crisp and left the apartment, locking up as she went. She made certain to turn her stereo down but left it on. She decided to take the elevator as to not flop the pan about. She got the garage and laid her contribution to dinner on the passenger seat and climbed in behind the wheel. She stopped by a grocery store and picked up a gallon of vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream to go along with it. She also purchased a few two-liter bottles of soda, making sure to get a variety.

She arrived at the house just before six o’clock. She juggled the apple crisp and the grocery bags before hitting the doorbell.

A moment later Tara answered, offering a warm smile as she did so. “Hey, Faith.” She said, looking at the girl’s armload. She immediately took the plastic bags and stepping aside to allow Faith inside. “What do you have there?” She asked, indicating the glass dish.

“Apple crisp.” Faith said, nudging the door closed behind her. “I asked Red if I should bring anything and she wasn’t really particular, so I decided I’d handle desert.”

Tara smiled brightly. “I-I didn’t know you could cook.”

Faith followed her into the kitchen. “I spent some time in the kitchens on the inside. One of the girls there was really nice and showed me a lot. I also read a bunch of cookbooks in the library.” She set the dish down.

“Well, it looks tasty,” Tara said. “Willow told me what you said about the macaroni salad your aunt used to make.” She pulled the bowl out and set it on the counter. Faith looked at it as the girl pulled the plastic cling wrap off. She pulled a spoon from the drawer and took a scoop out. “I added the shredded cheddar like you asked for.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Tare.” Faith said.

“F-figured you’d appreciate it,” Tara said. “Hopefully a little t-taste of home.”

“My home life sucked ass, Tara.” Faith offered. She moved closer and smelled the mix, just to be sure. Her stomach growled in response.

Willow chose that moment to come into the kitchen. She caught full sight of Faith leaning forward and, with her long tongue, scoop the salad off the spoon and pull it into her mouth. The redhead’s heart instantly skipped a beat. She could see that the display had the exact same effect on Tara. The blonde immediately blushed.

Faith stepped back, chewing and savoring the flavors. “You put a dash of lemon pepper and cayenne in there, didn’t you?” She asked. She ran her tongue over her lips, catching an errant piece of celery. “It’s delicious. My aunt’s salad couldn’t keep up with that if it tried.”

Tara and Willow both looked at each other. They were both a tad flushed. If Faith noticed, she didn’t give any outward sign. “Faith made us apple crisp.”

Willow looked at the brunette slayer. “Hopefully, you’re better in the kitchen than Buffy. Fantastic slayer, but constantly loses the battle with food preparation.”

“She makes a mean PB and J.” Faith offered. “And I think the pop tarts were only slightly burnt.”

Willow gave a small smile. “I’m glad you could make it.” She moved over and began setting the table.

“Where’s little D?” Faith asked as she took the plates Willow handed her.

“Staying the night at a friend’s house,” Tara said. “Despite what she might have told you, we do allow her to have a life.”

“Figured that. She’s fifteen. To her, everything’s the biggest deal in the world. You make her have Corn Flakes instead of Fruity Pebbles and you’re starving her. Or if you make her go take out the trash a couple times a week, you two just sit on your butts being horrible task masters while she has to Cinderella the place.” She grinned. “We were all that bad once.”

Both girls actually giggled. “True,” Tara said.

“My mom actually didn’t make me do any chores. She said that I should be a Doctor or Scientist and be rich enough to hire a maid. She wouldn’t even let me cook.” Willow said.

“I had to cook a lot when I was growing up.” Faith said. “A lot of macaroni and cheese and top ramen. You learn to be pretty creative when you’re broke ass.”

Tara leaned down to check the oven. “It was like that in my dorm. I would have to make do with really little. Not much you can do with a hot plate and an electric kettle.”

Faith shook her head. “You need to watch Top Chef Masters, then.” She began pulling out the bottles of soda she purchased. She set the Diet Coke, Classic Coke, Orange Crush, Sprite and Root Beer out on the table. “I got a variety because I don’t know what you all like to drink.” She looked at Willow. “I know B outright forbade you from having caffeine.”

“I’m a Sprite and Orange Crush girl, so I’m covered. Thanks for the consideration.” Willow said. She gave Faith a soft smile.

“What were you saying about Top Chef Masters?” Tara asked, pulling the lasagna out.

“Oh. There was an episode where the challenge was to cook good healthy meals for like, dirt cheap, and they had to do it on little more than what you had.” Faith put the ice cream in the freezer. “Hubert Keller took that one pretty handily.”

“He’s a really good chef,” Willow said. “My mom just idolized him. She tried to cook a lot of things out his books.” She shook her head. “Never worked.”

“I’ve read some of his stuff.” Faith said. “It’s usually pretty fancy.”

“Faith, if you wanna bring the lasagna to the table, I’ll get the salad,” Tara said. “Willow, would you get some glasses and ice for the soda?”

Faith carried the warm pan over, setting it on the hot pad in the center of the table. She stepped back into the kitchen and turned the oven up to 375 before taking two of the glasses that Willow had filled with ice. She set them down and waited for the girls to move over. She held Willow’s chair out for her and scooted it in she sat down. “Thanks.” The redhead said.

Faith nodded and did the same for Tara. She then went to the oven and pulled the plastic wrap off of the crisp and put it in, setting the timer for forty-five minutes.

She sat across from Willow with Tara to her right. “Thanks for the invite.” She said, looking at the girls. “I know this was a big step for you.” She looked directly at Willow. “It  _is_  appreciated.”

Willow sighed as she pulled a moderately sized serving of lasagna out. “Tara said it yesterday. When you get right down to it, we don’t really know each other that well. I mean…we never really hung out when you were here back in high school. We’ll just kinda gloss over the second time you were around town.”

“No.” Faith said, shaking her head. “We’re not gonna just gloss over it. We’re gonna talk about it. I’m gonna feel like shit about. You’re gonna get pissed at me for it, and I’m gonna apologize for it.” She took some of the lasagna and took a tentative bite. “I gotta be honest, I’ve never been a fan of vegetarian food.”

Tara looked at her nervously. “Do you not like it?”

“Oh, no. I love this. How you got it to taste good is beyond me. Most of the time it tastes like shit.” She took another huge bite. “It’s the bomb.”

The blonde smiled brightly. “I’m glad you like it.” She began gingerly eating hers.

“You normally don’t cook this much food, do you?” Faith asked, looking at the massive amount still in the pan.

“Actually, we do,” Willow said. “Well, she does. I can boil eggs and potatoes, but that’s about it.”

“Don’t let her fool you,” Tara said, looking at her girlfriend. “She’s not much with cooking, but she has wonderful knife skills and she’s a whiz with just about every kind of salad under the sun. Not bad with baking, either.”

“Well, Red here’s been doin’ the witch-fu for a while now. I remember her throwin’ some pretty serious magic back in the day. I gotta figure baking ain’t much different than workin’ spells. Follow the recipe, set the timer and forget it.” She thumbed back to the kitchen. “That’s what I did for the crisp in there.”

Willow blushed. “I’ve never really been that powerful.”

“That’s bullshit, Red. I remember when we were dealing with the Sisters of Jhe. You filled that cave with some serious fog. That saved our asses.” Faith looked her in the eye. “I can feel how strong you’ve gotten.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“You kinda give me a little tingle.” Faith said. Willow frowned and Tara giggled. Faith sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. “That’ didn’t sound as bad in my head.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Tara offered. “It’s just nice to know that you can actually blush.”

“I am a girl.” Faith said. “Girls blush.”

Willow took another bite and pointed to Faith with her fork. “I’ve actually wanted to ask you this for a while and now that I have you here, I have to know. What does five by five mean?”

Faith chuckled. “It’s radio lingo for a perfect signal. More specifically signal to noise ratio. Five by five is optimal.” She shrugged. “I heard it once and it just kinda stuck.”

“It means everything’s copacetic.” Tara offered.

“Pretty much.” Faith said. “I thought you knew that, Red.”

“Not much with the CB talk. I think I know what ten-four is, but beyond that…” She raised an eyebrow. “That means, like, copy or something, right?”

“Generally, yeah.” Faith nodded. “When I was making my way from Boston, I actually rode with a chick that was long haul. She was actually pretty cool. Name was Francine, but she went by Frankie. Her handle…that’s like your CB name, was Hot ‘n Nasty.”

Willow looked at her with a strange look. “Do I even wanna know?”

“Probably not. I spent two days with her. Met her at a truck stop in Albany. Killed a vampire that was trying to eat her. She thanked me with a hot meal at the truck stop and a ride all the way to Springfield, Illinois. That was as far west as she was going. Overall she was pretty damn cool.” She looked at the pair. “And yes we did. Several times. But she also taught me all the CB lingo. Kinda stuck with me.”

“So your trip across the country wasn’t all bad?” Tara asked.

“No. As a matter of fact, it was actually pretty damn fun, to be honest. There were some rough spots, but…it wasn’t horrible. I was a fifteen-year-old girl out on my own, not a care in the world.” She shrugged. “Coulda been worse.”

“What did you do for money and…and food?” Willow asked.

“Whatever I had to.” Faith said. “I did bang a couple of dudes for some cash, but not very often. And I stayed away from nasty types. One guy was a traveling salesman that was in Kansas City for a convention. I was hitchhiking and he picked me up. He was cute. A little chubby for my tastes, but he threw me a bill for a night with him. He was clean, smelled like cheap cologne, but at least, he made the effort. Good with his tongue and hands, but…” She motioned to her crotch. “Not much goin’ on downstairs.” She took a bite. “Second guy was another truck driver. He gave me fifty bucks, bought me dinner and the brown jacket I own.”

“I’m sorry you had to do all that,” Tara said, taking Faith’s hand. “It’s horrible to have to survive on your own like that.”

Faith shrugged. “We do what we have to do to get by.” She raised the eyebrows. “Oh, that reminds me. The Watcher’s Council is gonna be giving little D something like a hundred grand.”

“What?” Willow asked. “Wh-why?” Tara shot out, surprised.

Faith looked at Willow. “The Watcher’s Council is giving Dawn a hair over a hundred thousand dollars.” She looked at Tara. “It’s back pay for all the time B worked for the council as a slayer. From when she was called, to the time she died. She ain’t getting paid for the time she told them to take a hike, but…”

“That’s a lot of money to just hand to a girl like Dawn. She won’t know how to manage it.” Willow said.

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” Faith said. “They’re actually putting Tweed in charge of it. He’s gonna make sure all the bills get caught up and Dawn has a little spending cash. I did take the liberty of buying Dawn a cellphone, but it’s a prepaid, so she can only use up what minutes are on it, then she has to buy more. So no huge bills or anything.”

Willow and Tara looked at each other. “Who convinced them to do that?” Willow asked. “They never offered to pay her before.”

“I called Travers and he said yes. I mean if they’re paying me they should…”

“Wait a minute.” Willow looked at Faith. “The Watcher’s Council is paying you?”

“Yeah. Twenty-five hundred a month after taxes.” Faith said. “It ain’t great, but it’s better than I’d be getting if I worked some lame ass part time job. And let’s be honest, I wouldn’t be able to keep regular hours, anyway. Having to miss work because I got busted up by some vamp or demon wouldn’t be conducive to keeping steady employment, you know.”

Willow looked at her. “I impressed you actually managed to use ‘conducive’ a sentence and in the proper context.”

“Just don’t tell anyone. People find out I use big words, they’ll accuse me of being a nerd.” Faith said as she went back to her food.

“I’m a nerd,” Willow said, frowning. “What’s wrong with nerds, anyway?”

“Look how you got treated in high school and ask me that.” Faith said.

“Yeah, but I’m in college now. Where the nerds rule.” The redhead was smiling, happily. “People…they, they respect the nerd knowledge. They fear our brains and what we can do, for we will rule the world…or at least, do all of the, you know research and-and design the programs and data networks to make the ruling easier and more efficient.”

Faith looked at her and couldn’t help but giggle. “Can I be honest without you two like getting pissed or, or turning me into a frog or something?”

Tara looked at her. “You can be honest with us, Faith. We want you to…to be comfortable.”

Willow nodded. “Not being honest is what led to all of that bad stuff back then. I don’t want a repeat of that.” She shook her head. “Ever.” She grinned. “Besides that, transfiguration magic like that is actually really difficult. I mean, A-Amy is still a rat. Has been for almost three years.”

“Yeah, but she does have that wicked cool habitrail goin’ on. If I were a rat, I’d be stoked.”

“What did you wanna say?” Willow asked.

“Well, I’m not sure how you’re gonna take this, Red. Not sure how blondie here’s gonna take it either, but I’m all about being up front these days. You know that ramblin’ thing you do?”

Willow blushed and slumped a little in her chair. “Sorry. I’m trying to curb it, but it just kinda comes out sometimes.”

“I’m not gonna lie, it used to bother the shit out of me.” Faith said. “Now?” She chuckled. “It’s kind of adorable.”

Willow and Tara both looked at her, shock written plainly across their faces.

“Just sayin’.” Faith offered, loading up her plate with another helping of lasagna and more macaroni salad. “This is really good, Tara. You got it goin’ on.”

The blonde blushed. “Th-thank you.”

Willow was still staring at Faith. “I’m…not real quick on the uptake with some things, so I wanna make sure of something.”

Faith shrugged and nodded. “Go for it.”

“Did you just hit on me?” Willow asked, point blank.

Faith snickered. “It’s called flirting, Red. And yeah, I did.” She didn’t look at the girl. “I’m not tryin’ to step on any toes or anything.”

“It’s okay, Faith,” Tara said. “I’m not bothered by it. You’re a n-naturally flirtatious person.”

“Which reminds me…” Faith said. “Strangely. What ever happened to Oz? I mean last time I was joy ridin’ in Buffy’s skin you and Tara here were a thing.”

“A few months before you came along some slutty werewolf girl came to town and made him go all wolf-crazy. He ended up ripping her throat out and he left to get control of his wolf.” Willow said, softly. “He did come back, though. A couple of months after you woke up.” She looked directly at Tara and gave her a warm loving smile. “But my heart found where it belonged.” The blonde returned it.

Faith saw the look and couldn’t help but feel jealous. What confused her the most was she wasn’t sure exactly  _who_  she was jealous of. Tara, for earning that kind of smile from the suddenly adorable red head, or Willow, for receiving the same from Tara. One thing she could say for sure. She definitely recognized love when she saw it.

She heard the timer go off on the oven and went in, pulling a pair of pot holders from the hook on the wall.

Tara and Willow were both pulled from their reverie. “W-we have to tell her, Willow. What Dawn told us.”

The redhead sighed and nodded. “Yeah, we really do.”

Faith came out a moment later. “That’s gotta cool down before we can dive into it.” She said, pulling her chair out. “Anyone need any more ice while I’m up?” She felt bad about interrupting a tender moment.

“You…need to s-sit down,” Tara said. “Please.”

“What did I say?” Faith asked, suddenly nervous.

“You? Nothing.” Willow said. “It’s just that…something came to light today and Tara and I feel it’s kind of important to clear the air.”

Faith furrowed her brow and sat down.

“Dawn shared something about the friendship you and she shared when you first came to Sunnydale.” Tara began. “She said that when you two would hang out that she said that Willow, Buffy, and Xander didn’t like you.”

Faith smiled wryly. “Yeah, I remember. Girl can’t lie for shit. Don’t get me wrong, she made it sound pretty convincing, but you don’t survive long on the streets without learning how to read people. I got it for what it was.”

Both Willow and Tara looked at her, surprised. “You knew she was lying?”

“Come on, guys. She was like twelve. I saw what she was doing, understood the reasoning behind it and let her play her game. It made her feel better to know that she had a friend all to herself. Makes sense if you think about it. Two misfits chillin’ together.” Faith shrugged. “Besides, I’m not as dumb as you all think I am. Granted, I make some pretty piss poor choices, but I’m not stupid.” She finished up her lasagna and rose to her feet, taking the empty plates from the table. “Who wants apple crisp and ice cream?”

The girls just stared at her dumbfounded.

“You guys need to be rebooted or something?” Faith asked. “Look, Red. I was a loner because that’s how I spent a majority of my life. I never had any friends and didn’t really want any. I had a few people that I hung with, but I’ve never been a social butterfly. I like to dance and go to clubs and stuff, but I don’t always do that whole get together thing. Now, I can honestly tell you that I probably would have turned you guys down flat for invites to popcorn and movie nights…” She sighed. “But it’s still nice being asked.” She then took the plates into the kitchen.

Willow bit her lip and rose from the table. When Tara moved to follow, Willow held her hand up to stop her, shaking her head. The girl moved into the kitchen to see Faith dishing up bowls of steaming hot apple crisp. “Faith?”

“Yeah, Red? You want ice cream on yours?”

“Yes, please,” Willow said. “Tara does, too.”

“Got whipped cream, too if you want some.” The slayer said, not turning around.

“Faith, turn around, please.”

She turned to regard the redhead. She was shocked when Willow’s hand cracked into the side of her face. It didn’t really hurt, just surprised her. Willow immediately began shaking her hand. “Ow, oh god, ow.” She looked at Faith with a furrowed brow. “What are you made of concrete?”

Faith chuckled. “I’ve been hit harder by bigger, Red.”

“Well, that  _was_  for…ow, damn.” She moved to the freezer and pulled an ice cube out. “This really hurts.”

“Let me guess, that was for holding you at knifepoint?” Faith asked as she went back to dishing up the ice cream.

“Well, yeah.” She frowned. “Ow. I was also gonna hug you and say sorry, but my hand hurts, now.”

“Don’t worry about it Red. We’re square.” She said. She ran a cloth under the cold water, rung it out and moved over to Willow. “Here.” She said, taking the ice cube from her hand. “The ice is actually bad for you. This should help.” She wrapped the cloth around the girl’s petite hand. “I hurt ya, Red.” Faith said, looking into the girl’s eyes. “I know that. There ain’t a day goes by I don’t think about it and regret it. I can stand here and give you the whole if I had it to do over again speech all day long, but the fact is this.” She stepped closer. “I fucked up. Plain and simple. The reasons, the circumstances, all of it doesn’t amount to shit. I…” She tapped her chest. “Hurt you.” She touched Willow’s chest. “And I am, and always will be, sorry.”

Willow stared into Faith’s pale brown eyes and gave her a soft smile. “I forgive you, Faith.” She pulled the girl in and hugged her. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, Red.” Faith said. She felt tears on her cheeks, but that was okay.

 


	8. Chapter 8

 

Faith stood in Giles’ apartment and looked at the heavy black body armor. She smiled and looked up at him. “This is pretty nice. How’d you get it so fast?” She asked him.

“I took the liberty of calling Quentin and asking him what the operatives of the Watcher’s council use. He told me not to worry about it and sent that overnight for you.” He reached out and ran his fingers along the fabric. “He said it was lightweight and shouldn’t overheat you.”

“I’m gonna go ahead and try it on.” She said heading for his bathroom. She closed the door and kicked off her boots. She then peeled off her pants and her shirt, stepping into the black padded pants and zipping them up. She pulled on the black long sleeve shirt that had thick pads along the sides, front, back, and arms. It was a tad stiffer than she was used to, but the protection it would provide would be a worthwhile trade-off. She then strapped the Kevlar-backed chest protection over it all. It was somewhat heavy, but she nodded. All in all, it wasn’t bad. She gathered her shirt and pants and walked out with her boots in hand. “So, how do I look?”

Giles looked her up and down and smiled. “Like you’re about to storm an embassy in some Middle Eastern country with a handful of your equally clad colleagues.” He pulled out a large box and offered it to her. “I…I took the liberty of purchasing these for you today. I figured you’d like them.”

She sat down and opened the box, smiling. Inside were a pair of really nice combat boots. “Oh, man.” She said, lifting one of them up. “These are Oakley S.I.’s.” She looked at Giles. “These are like, a hundred bucks a pair.” She put the box down and immediately began pulling them on.

“I only hope I got the right size.” He said, sitting on the arm of his sofa.

She looked inside. “Yup. Size eights.” She tugged the boot completely on and laced it up nice and tight. She stood and took a couple of lopsided steps. “These are badass, tweed.” She moved over and hugged him. “Thanks.”

He returned the embrace with a wide smile. “You’re welcome, Faith.”

She sat down and put on the other boot. “I think I’m gonna be taller in these.” She loved the way they felt. They were a little heavier than her Doc Martens, but they were also of significantly sterner make.

“This was also sent with the body armor,” Giles said, pulling out the elaborate assault vest.

She raised an eyebrow. “Jeez. They weren’t screwin’ around.” She stood and took it. She turned it around and cocked her head. “That’s handy.”

“I added a little to it.” He said. “I uh, I stitched a scabbard to the back and added a catch so you can carry a larger blade, should you need one. You have pockets for stakes, there.” He pointed to three along each side. “A canteen holder for holy water and what have you.”

Faith smiled and strapped it on. “Everything a girl needs for a night out in Sunnydale.” She sifted through her duffel and began pulling things out, securing them to her body. She belted on the sheath and her knife, letting it hang along her leg. When everything was settled, she stepped back and looked at Giles. “So do I look dangerous enough?” She asked him.

“Rather, I would say.” He went into his closet and pulled out a large garment bag. “This isn’t a part of the Watcher’s outfit. It’s from me. Something that I thought you’d like and…a bit of a gift for choosing to do the right thing.” He handed it to her. “I am proud of you, Faith. It isn’t easy to face the mistakes of the past and make a fresh start as you have. This is something for taking those first steps.”

She grinned at him. “Really? The boots were…”

“The boots were paid for by the Watcher’s Council. This is from me.”

She unzipped the side of the bag and pulled it off, revealing a knee length leather trench coat. “Tweed I…” She was dumbfounded. “I don’t know what to say.” She looked at him. “These are really expensive.”

“And you’re worth every penny.” He said to her. “I wasn’t able to help you when you were first in Sunnydale. I should have been a better Watcher to you, Faith. I should have been a lot of things that I was not.”

She took the coat off the hanger and put it on. It was comfortable and fit perfectly. “This is awesome.”

“Now, I believe you are ready for whatever the night can throw at you,” Giles said. “If you need any assistance out there, don’t hesitate to call me. I’ll come right out and help you.”

She smiled at him. “I appreciate that G. I’ll go out and hit it first. If I need backup, I’ll give a shout out.” She said patting him on the shoulder. “Catch you later.”

“Good luck. Be careful.” He said to her.

“Will do.” She returned before stepping out of the apartment and into the still night air. She made her way to her Plymouth and drove along the streets of Sunnydale, keeping her eyes out for anything untoward. She concentrated as she did so, stretching her senses.

Suddenly the night was filled with the rumble of multiple two-stroke and four-stroke motorcycle engines. Faith pulled off the road and watched as the bikers roared past her. She could tell right away that they weren’t human. Her heart sank. In her travels, she’d heard of these beasts.

The backwater roads and small towns of the Midwest talked about them in hushed whispers. Until now, she wasn’t even sure they really existed. She kept her eyes ahead, watching as the beasts smashed and burned everything in their paths. “Christ.”

She was so intent on what was happening in front of her, that she was caught completely off guard when a large meaty fist smashed through the driver’s side window of her car and took a handful of her hair. She was dragged bodily from the car and thrown to the ground. She landed hard and came to a stop on her back. A large beast of a…whatever the hell he was, stood with his hideously scarred face looming over her. He reached down and lifted her to her feet. “You’re a pretty little thing.” He said. His fetid breath washed over her.

She scrunched her nose. “Damn, dude. Mouthwash isn’t prescription.” She calmly reached down and pulled her knife from her belt.

“What the hell are you wearing?” He asked, looking at her chest.

“It’s called body armor, dumbass.” Faith snapped. She rammed the blade into his stomach, causing him to drop her. She kept her hand on the knife and turned it, pushing it sideways, carving a massive gash across his abdomen.

Viscera slopped out onto the street as he staggered back, trying to keep his internal organs where they belonged. “What…the hell are you?” He asked.

“I’m a slayer, asshole. I’d say tell your friends, but you ain’t gonna live that long.” She spun kicked him across the jaw, dropping him to the ground. She lifted her eyes to see a pair of the demon bikers racing toward her. She shifted her knife to her left hand and pulled her sword with her right. “Let’s dance.”

They bore down on her quickly, revving their engines. One had a rusted machete in his hand. The other carried what looked like a fire ax with electrical tape around the handle. She broke into a run at the monsters. As they drifted a little apart, she noticed that one had pulled ahead a couple of feet. She grinned. “Perfect.” She said to herself. She jumped at the last moment, launching herself at the leading biker. He tried to draw his machete back, but she proved just a bit quicker. She landed with both feet on the gas tank of the dirt bike and rammed her sword down into the side of his neck and her knife into the crown of his thick head.

She pushed off of his motorcycle and side flipped in the air, twisting as she did so to land on the back of the second bike. She rammed her sword into his back and plunged her knife into the side of his neck, just behind his trachea. She then thrust her blade forward, tearing his throat out. She rolled backward off the back to land in a crouch as the bikes both veered this way and that before smashing into a parked car or utility pole.

She could see more bikers than she could count and sighed. “This is gonna be a long damn night.” She thought a moment and groaned. “This is gonna hurt.” She said, running to her car. She climbed in and fired it up. She shifted and took off toward the main host of bikers.

She closed the distance, weaving between the burning cars and staggering pedestrians. She gripped the wheel and bore down on a trailing rider. She sped up and pulled a little to the side, clipping his back wheel with the bumper of her car. His rear tire was pushed out wide and he immediately went down in a hail of sparks and debris. She dodged out of the way of the motorcycle, not wanted to screw up the undercarriage. She slid to a stop as she saw the demon trying to get up. She shifted into reverse and floored it. The beast had gotten to his knees when the huge Plymouth slammed into him, crushing him beneath its girth. She skidded to a stop and shifted back into first. She mashed the pedal and spun the tires as she took off, again thumping over the top of him. She kept her eyes on the rear view. He didn’t try to get back up.

She played this game a few more times, taking the bikers out one after another. After the fourth demon was ground under, they wised up. A large group of them dropped back, surrounding her. She groaned as they began pounding on her car with sledgehammers, machetes, and axes. Her windows were the first casualties. Glass erupted around her and sliced into her face. “Alright, boys.” She said, shifting into a higher gear. “Let’s play follow the leader.” She raced ahead, unwinding all four hundred and eighty horses.

She could see a whole mess of them following her. She floored it and kept ahead of them. She turned and began heading to the dock district. Plenty of open space and not a lot of people. The rear window shattered over her. She could feel glass biting into her back. She growled and gave it everything she had. In a straight line, she could outrun the ratty poorly maintained motorcycles easily, but with the cluttered streets and constant turns, they were keeping pace. She had to slow to avoid colliding with something. She drifted around a corner and smiled. The tide flats were dead ahead. She kept a watch behind her. The bikers were all close and staying that way.

She drove and again drifted around a turn to emerge on the frontage road that ran along the waterfront. It was almost fourteen miles of uninterrupted tarmac. She grinned widely. “Welcome to muscle car territory, boys.” She shifted into fourth gear and floored it. The speedo shot up. She could see she was pulling away from them. She only hoped they would be as single-minded as she thought they were.

Suddenly her phone rang. She pulled it out and looked at it. “Shit.” She said, recognizing Dawn’s number. “Yeah, little D? Kinda busy right now.”

“There are demon bikers by my house.” The girl said, terrified.

“Yeah, we’ve met.” Faith said.

“You have to come and help us. Me, Tara and Willow are here alone.”

“Fuck.” The slayer snapped. “Alright. Sit tight. Go into the basement and bar the door. I’ll get there as soon as I can.”

“Should I call Giles?” Dawn asked.

“No! Whatever you do don’t call Xander or Giles.”

“Why? Maybe they can…”

“They can’t help. But they’ll think they can. These guys aren’t fucking around. They’ll cut down anyone they find. The best thing for all of you to do is to let me handle this. I’ll come and get you, I promise. Just stay strong and stay put. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She ended the call and tossed the phone onto the seat. “Come on, boys. Stay with me.” She said. She saw a long sweeping corner and nodded. “Now or never.” She kept the speed poured on and put some distance between her and them. When she could no longer see them, she counted to ten and skidded to a stop, spinning completely around. “Time for a big ass game of chicken.”

She mashed her foot down on the gas, keeping her other foot on the brake. Her rear tires screamed as she smoked them off. She then let up the brake, shooting off so fast the front tires came off the ground about a foot. She ratcheted through the gears, doing her best to close the distance as much as possible. “I’m sorry about this, baby.” She said to her car. She made sure her seatbelt was fastened tightly.

She could hear the bikes screaming toward her. She came around the corner doing better than a hundred and thirty miles an hour. At the last possible second, she jammed the brakes, turning the car into a sideways slide right into the path of the oncoming motorcycles. She let go of the steering wheel and wrapped her arms around her neck.

The impact was horrible. Of the ten bikes that followed her, eight plowed into the side of her Plymouth. The bikers were tossed about like ragdolls. Two managed to veer around her. The rest weren’t so lucky.

The entire side of her car was hammered as demon after demon plowed into her at high speed. She climbed out as soon as the collisions stopped, sword in hand.

The two bikers that managed to dodge away, turned back, racing toward her. She grabbed a discarded machete and drew back, hurling it at one of the beasts. The blade hit him in the chest and threw him back off the bike. The last monster, a hulking beast of a specimen raced by, spinning a length of chain. She ducked under it, but barely. She could feel the wind on her head as it whipped past. As he raced past, she turned and waited, backing against the side of her car.

He came back around, his chain spinning in the air. He struck, lashing it toward her. She gripped the end of it and dropped to her knees. The chain snapped taught. The rusted metal cut into her hands, but she held it. The demon was wrenched from his bike to slam to the pavement.

Faith dropped the chain and ran toward him, her sword at the ready. As he tried to reclaim his feet, she swung, taking his head in one swift motion. She stood and took a moment to gain her breath. She then began the process of finishing off the demons that were still alive. It was grisly, but necessary work.

She then made her way to her car. It still ran, but the side that caught the impact of the demons was torn to shit. Both tires were flat and the front steering was bent all to hell. The tire was rotated inward and the fender was mashed against the rubber. “Well, you’re not goin’ anywhere.” She managed, through sheer brute strength, to get the car onto the side of the road. So traffic could make it past.

She sat down against the car and breathed heavily. “Christ almighty.” She closed her eyes and relaxed a moment. Then she suddenly remembered. “Shit. Dawn.” She got up and looked around. She ran to a downed motorcycle and lifted it up. It was an old Honda cr500. She’d ridden one before and was fairly familiar with it. She dropped the stand and grabbed all of her gear from the car. She kicked the bike over and revved it. She turned and headed back into town.

There was still a host of demons racing this way and that. She slowed to a stop when she saw a large gathering of demons around a bonfire near the town square. “Where the hell are the cops when you need ‘em?” She asked, looking about. The answer to her question lay in the burning hulk of a police cruiser. “Right.” She said, sadly. “Ask a stupid question…” She stepped off the bike and moved toward them.

She crept closer, listening as one of the demons ranted and raved. “Say hello to your new home, boys.” The demons all cheered and hollered. One of the demons took a mouthful of his alcohol and blew it at his torch, creating a huge gout of flame.

Faith smiled. “If they weren’t so damned ugly, I could learn to like these guys.” She said, softly. She had to admit, they knew how to party.

“This here is a momentous occasion, the beginning of a new era.” The big demon went on.

Faith looked about and saw the Buffybot, her chest carved open and sparking standing with chains attached to her arms and legs. “Oh, shit.” She said, sadly. “God dammit.” She began counting the demons. “Twenty-three of these sons of bitches.” She started thinking of a way to save the bot. True it wasn’t alive, but…she couldn’t bring herself to just let the thing get destroyed.

“Now, no question, the open backroads and highways have been good to us. But we’ve got ourselves a juicy little burg here, just ripe for the picking. And I ain’t in no hurry to leave it, are you?” The demons all yelled “No!”

Faith sighed and pulled her knife. She moved up the outermost demon and quickly wrapped her hand over his wide mouth and plunged her blade into his neck, slashing it back to the bone. She held him up for a moment then slowly lowered him to the ground. As the leader kept ranting on, she moved from one beast to another. Trying to be as quiet as possible. She knew she couldn’t take them all in a stand-up fight. She was good, but they had numbers. And without any true way to take that out of the equation, she did the next best thing she could. She relegated herself to the role of shadow stalking assassin.

“So I figure, what better way to kick off our ... semi-settling-down, than with a little christening?” He was grinning evilly as the demons secured the chains to their motorcycles. “A symbolic act commemorating the new order around here…and ridding ourselves of any not-so-pleasant reminders of the old.” He pulled a gun and slowly, theatrically, placed a bullet in the cylinder.

Faith saw this and knew what was coming. Her time had run out. She reached down and lifted the bottle of vodka that one of the demons had in his hand. She took a long pull off of it. The alcohol scorched her throat. She ripped a piece of cloth from the demon’s shirt and stuffed it into the bottle. “Can’t believe I’m doin’ this for a fucking robot.” She said to herself. She knelt in the shadows and pulled her Zippo from her pocket. She lit the rag and sighed. “I must be out of my fucking mind.” She moved behind a car and nodded. She then stood and hurled the bottle with everything she had at one of the men on the bikes.

The Molotov cocktail slammed into his chest, spilling flaming alcohol all over him. She quickly trotted in a special forces squat to another car and climbed inside, keeping low.

The demons were in a sudden frenzy. “Who did that?” The leader screamed. Everyone began looking around. “We got a party crasher, boys.” He said. “Find ‘em.”

The beasts spread out, searching the area. Faith kept an eye out and tried keeping ahead of the monsters. She moved around the car as one of them got close. She climbed into an old station wagon and grabbed the dirty carpet from the back of the rig, dragging it up and over her to conceal herself. She peeked out as one of the beasts looked into the car. He grinned at her and reached in, grabbing her by the lapels and pulling her out. She didn’t fight him. She simply drove her knife up into his throat and pressed her hand to his mouth.

Several more demons came to check on the action. She pulled him in on top of her and lifted her legs, making it look as if he was raping her. She began whimpering and crying, muttering “No, please stop.” Over and over.

“Ah, look at that. Raxx found himself a prime piece.” One of the demons said. “We get her when you’re done, bud.”

She let out a deep guttural groan. The demons obviously weren’t too bright. They nodded and moved on. Faith peeked out from under him and sighed. “Get off me.” She said, pushing the demon aside. She crawled from the other side of the car and crept closer to the Buffybot. The demons were scouring the surrounding area, looking for her. She kept to the shadows, trying as hard as she could to be quiet. She came up behind the blonde android and stood, putting her hand over the bot’s mouth. “I’m gonna get you outta here, but you have to be completely silent. Don’t say a word, okay? Just nod if you understand me.”

The robot nodded.

Faith thought quickly. “I’ll get you to Willow for repairs, okay?” Buffybot nodded eagerly. She accepted the response, released her hand and began working with the chains. She just managed to get them freed when the leader caught sight of her. “Shit.” Faith said. “Um…run.” She said to the Buffybot. “Try and keep up, robo B.”

The Buffybot kept pace with some difficulty. “I have to get back to Willow.” She said, her voice strained. “I’m damaged. Power failure imminent.”

“Yeah, well if you don’t keep up the pace, you’re gonna have more than a power failure to worry about.” Faith said. “We’re never gonna get anywhere on foot.” She pointed to an alley. “Get over there and stay put. I’m gonna get us a ride.”

The Buffybot did as she was told and ran for the alley. Faith followed her and turned, waiting. A pair of demons roared after her. She pulled her sword from her back and spun it in her hands. “Come on, burger-face. Come and get me.”

The first of the pair pulled a chain from around his handlebars and swung it, looking to take the slayer from her feet. The steel links shot forward, sailing toward Faith’s legs. She executed a solid backflip, missing the chain altogether. She landed and turned, swinging her blade as he sailed past. The razor sharp edge took his head off, causing the bike to swerve and collide with a burning car.

She wasn’t prepared, however, when the second demon buried a fireaxe in her back as he shot by her. She screamed and staggered, dropping to her knees. It hurt like hell, but she could feel that the body armor had done its job. It turned a deadly blow into a glancing one. She reached back and gripped the handle of the axe and with a grunt of pain, pulled it free. She could feel the hot blood running down her back. She stood, with the axe in one hand and her blade in the other, to meet the demon as he turned back around. He was shocked to see her still standing. “Ready for round two, asshole?” She stepped out into the middle of the street.

He growled and revved his bike, racing toward her. His front wheel rose in the air a moment before he dropped back down…to see the axe flying toward his head. He had a moment to contemplate how badly screwed he was before the weapon cracked into his skull, throwing him backward off his bike and to the ground, dead.

Faith moved over and lifted the motorcycle. “Aw, man.” She said. “A fuckin’ Yamaha. I hate Yamaha.” She fired it up and looked to the Buffy bot. “Come on.”

The robot ran over and climbed on. “Are you taking me to Willow now?”

“Yeah. Hold onto me.” The bot wrapped her arms tightly around the slayer to the point of pain. “Alright, B, damn. Not that tight.”

“I’m sorry.” The robot said, her voice chipper.

“Just don’t fall off.” Faith said. “Oh, shit.” She saw a few bikers racing after her. “Time to go.” She took off like a shot, moving through the town at breakneck speeds. She looked down at the bike she was on. “Fuck I hate a Yamaha.” She turned to see the demons closing on her. “We’re too damn heavy. They’re catching us.” Faith said. “You know how to ride a motorcycle?” She asked the robot.

“I’m not allowed to ride things.” The bot said. “I used to ride Spike.” She added, happily.

“Yeah, one of the things in a long list I really didn’t need to hear.” Faith snapped. “We’ve gotta get off the road.” She ripped past an alleyway. She caught a glimpse of another rider coming toward them. “Dammit.” She leaned down and throttled back. “Okay, I’m gonna…” She looked back and couldn’t help but cheese. “Yes!” She shot out.

As the bikers closed on the alley, another motorcycle flew into the street. It’s wheels smacked across the demons bodies and heads, causing them to lose their control and careen into various piles of flotsam. The rider, a bleach blonde man in a long black leather coat hit the ground and dropped his foot, cranking the bike to the side. He then revved the engine and lifted his front wheel, speeding after the pair.

Faith smiled at him as he caught up with her. “Heya, Spike.” She said, happily. “Figured you’d be out in this.”

“Looked like so much fun, I thought I’d get in on the party.” He offered, keeping pace. “What happened to Buffybot?”

“Some demons were gonna tear her up.” Faith looked back at the android. She was staring to the side with lifeless eyes. “She said she was gonna have a power failure. I need to get her to Red.”

“Let’s go and drop her off and then get out there and clean up our town,” Spike said.

“Sounds like a plan.” Faith said, racing ahead.

 


	9. Chapter 9

 

Faith and Spike raced toward the Summers’ house side by side. They could still hear motorcycles in the distance, but the road, for the moment seemed to be clear. A few minutes later they pulled to a stop in front of the large home. Spike dismounted and pried the Buffybot’s arms from about Faith. As soon as she was free, she climbed off and trotted up to the house. “Do you know if they have a spare key or something?”

He nodded and handed the girl the unconscious robot. He then reached up above the doorjamb and pulled down a silver key. He quickly unlocked the deadbolt and pushed the door open. “She usually sleeps in this closet, here,” Spike said, pointing. He pulled the door open for her. She nestled the bot in and shut the door. “We need to find Lil’ bit and the witches.” He said, looking around.

“I had ‘em go down into the basement and sit tight. One way in, one way out. Easier to defend if the shit hit the fan.” Faith said.

“Good thinkin’,” Spike said, moving toward the door. He slowly pulled it open. “Hey, Dawn? You down there, nibblet?”

“Spike?” He heard Dawn’s small voice in the dark.

“That’s right, bit. Me and Faith.” He said, descending the stairs. Faith was right behind him.

“You guys okay?” Faith asked looking at the three of them. Dawn stood with a baseball bat clutched in her hands. Willow had a crossbow and Tara was carrying an axe. “Good, you armed yourselves.” She walked over and took the baseball bat from dawn. “That isn’t gonna do shit to these guys.” She tossed it to Spike and pulled her sword. “Here. Razor sharp and cut through these mothers like butter.”

Dawn nodded but kept her terrified expression.

“We sent the Buffybot out on patrol,” Willow said. “We have to find her.”

“She’s upstairs in the closet.” Faith offered. “They were gonna tear her apart…literally. They had chains around her arms and legs and were gonna pull her apart. I managed to get her out but got a lot of attention doing it. Did you guys contact anyone?”

They all shook their heads. “No. You told us not to.” Dawn said. “They wanted to call Xander and Giles, but I stopped them.”

Faith smiled and ruffled her hair. “Good lookin’ out.” She said, nodding. “Alright, you guys stay put for a while longer. Spike and I are gonna check on the others. See if they’re okay. We’ll keep in touch. You got your phone?” She asked Dawn.

The girl nodded and pulled it out. “Right here.”

“Good. I’ll give you the all clear. Just stay here and don’t go upstairs, okay? No matter what you hear.”

“Faith…” Tara said, worried. “Your back. It’s bleeding.”

“I’m fine. I ain’t got time to bleed.” The slayer said. She patted Spike on the chest. “Let’s get moving. I saw something on our way here that’s gonna help.”

He pulled Dawn in and hugged her. “Be back in a bit, nibblet.” He said. “Take care of these two for us, alright?”

“Be careful.” She said, trying not to cry. She let him go and clutched the sword to her chest. She watched them go and couldn’t help but worry.

Faith trotted out to the motorcycle and climbed on. “A ways back I saw something. Wanna check it out. Might be a nice war wagon.”

Spike nodded, revving his bike. “Sounds good.” He followed her as she raced off. As they came around the corner, they spied a group bikers smashing up the lane.

Faith counted five in all. “Feel like letting off a little steam?”

“I can get behind that.” Spike offered, grinning. He cranked the throttle, lifting the front wheel off the ground, racing toward a demon.

Faith followed suit and moved in beside him. The pair caught the same demon square, bouncing over him, sending him rolling along the concrete.

The remaining four demons looked about as the slayer and the vampire pulled to a stop and leapt from their bikes. Faith pulled her knife free and spun it in her hand. “You boys look like you’re havin’ fun.”

Spike pulled the hooked crowbar from the dead demon’s hand. “Don’t mind if we cut in, do ya?”

The demons rushed the pair, snarling, and growling. Spike began laughing as he tore into the demons with abandon. “Oh, yeah!” He was happy as a clam. He spun out of the way of a haphazard machete swing and bashed the demon across the chops with the crowbar, sending him flying. The second demon managed to get a chain wrapped around Spike’s throat and pull. The blonde vampire stopped and turned at the demon, staring at him like he was stupid. “Bloody pillock!” He shouted, gripping the chain and pulling roughly, causing the demon to stagger toward him. “I don’t breathe, you sodding burke.” He spun the crowbar in his hand and drove the end of it, down into the demon’s skull and out through the back of his neck. The beast fell to the ground, dead.

Spike unwrapped the chain about his neck and turned, using to whip the demon on the ground. The links cracked across the biker’s back. “Hah, mule!” The vampire was in seventh heaven. “What’s that?” He said, laughing, beating on the demon relentlessly. “You want me to hit you some more?” He said, again hitting the demon. “I can do that.”

Faith didn’t waste a lot of time. She ran at the pair full speed, looking for a quick takedown. The first demon she came to had a large knife in his hand and drew back to slash at her. As the blade came forward, she caught his right hand at the wrist with her left hand. She quickly jammed her own blade into the side of his head. As his grip on his knife loosened, she snatched it from his hand and stepped past him into the path of the next demon. He carried a sledgehammer and was big enough to use it effectively. She inverted the blades in her hand ice-pick fashion and stalked toward him. He ran on, his arms back to swing the mighty weapon. She dropped to her knees and slid to a stop in front of him, both knives slamming into the sides of the beasts’ knees.

The monster fell forward. Faith leaned forward, driving her shoulders into his knees and shooting to her feet, flipping him up and over her to crash to the ground on his back. She spun as he landed and pushed both blades rapidly into his skull.

She let out a quick breath and saw Spike enjoying the hell out of himself. He was whipping the shit out of a demon with the length of chain. She chuckled and moved over to another one of the demon’s bikes. “Ooh.” She said, kneeling and looking at it. “1942 Harley Davidson. A little work and she could be a badass machine.” She climbed onto it and fired it up. It obviously needed a bit of work, but it sounded pretty good, all things considered. “Not bad.” She looked at Spike. “Alright, bleach. We gotta get moving.”

He looked at her and back to the simpering demon that lay in a shredded bloody heap on the ground. He moved over and wrapped the chain around the monster’s neck and pulled. The bones broke with a wet crunch. He climbed onto a random bike and grinned at her. “Now  _that_  was bloody fun.” He fired his bike up.

“Glad you enjoyed yourself.” She said, racing off. Soon she came to what she was looking for. “There we are.”

“A lorry?” He asked. “What good is that gonna do?”

“We’re gonna be collectin’ the rest of the gang. We’re gonna need something that those biker boys ain’t gonna be able to stop.” She smiled. “Besides, this isn’t just a semi. This is a Peterbilt 379. This one of the baddest trucks on the planet.” She quickly unbuttoned the bonnet and flipped it up, taking a look. “Looks like…C-16 Caterpillar. Six hundred horses and two thousand fifty foot-pounds of torque.” She looked at him. “This is a beast.”

“Which reminds me, where’s your car? I thought I saw you in it earlier.”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Faith said, walking the bike over and pushing it into the bushes. She then pulled some branches off to conceal it.

“What are you doin’?” He asked her.

“This is ‘42 Harley Davidson army special. These things are rare as hell. I’m keepin’ this one, but I can take this and the rig at the same time.” She trotted over and pulled the door open. The driver was dead with his skull smashed in on the front seat. She dragged him out and climbed in. “Get in, blondie. We got people to save.”

“Do you know how to drive one of these, bint?” He asked as he slid into the passenger seat.

She looked at him and pushed the gear lever into neutral. “No. No idea at all.” She said, shaking her head. “Some trucker taught me how to drive her rig once. That and I’m a quick study.” She put her foot on the gas a touch and turned the key. The dash lights came on and clicked off one by one. “Nice.” She said, happily. She turned the key and listened as the starter motor groaned. “Come on, baby.” She was rewarded with a bellowing growl as the huge diesel engine rumbled to life. Thick black smoke poured from the stacks. “Alright, we’re in business.”

“Good. You can start the bloody thing. But can you drive it?” He asked her.

“I will punch you in the throat.” She said to him. She put the clutch in and pushed in the airbrake. The telltale ‘whoosh’ told her that it was off. She gripped the gearshift and put it in third, just like Frankie had taught her. She gave it some gas and the truck lurched forward. “Ha!” She said, shifting up as the rig roared on. She rolled over the bikes and demons corpses. She smashed through the debris in the streets. “This is awesome.”

Spike nodded his approval. “I’m gutted. You actually know your way around this thing pretty well.”

“Spent some time with truck drivers. You pick up on a few things.” The slayer said, banging through the streets. “We’re closer to Xander’s apartment. We’ll grab him and Anya first.”

Spike nodded. “That works.” He said, looking around. “Oh, lovely. We’ve got company.” He said, looking in his rearview mirror. Two bikers were rolling after them. “Right. You keep drivin’. I’ll go have a chat with our friends.” He pushed the door open and stepped out onto the gas tank. “Be back soon, love.” He said, slamming the door closed.

Faith smiled and shifted gears, plowing through a burning car. “He’s havin’ the time of his life in this.”

Spike climbed onto the back of the rig and watched as the two demons came roaring at them. “Come on you bloody wankers.”

They both closed in and leapt from their bikes, crawling up onto the rear deck of the semi. Spike quickly put a boot to the first of the pair, knocking him off the frame and down between the massive wheels of the truck. The demon was immediately crushed and ground into paste by the thick rubber. The second demon got to a crouch and lunged at the vampire. He slammed Spike back against the heavy steel of the cab.

The blonde undead grabbed the monster’s wrists and forced his hands out wide. He then delivered a solid kick to his genitals. The demon howled and staggered back. Spike left fly with a hard right cross that spun the biker from the rig to the same fate as his companion. Blood and viscera sprayed the back of the truck as he was chewed up and finally spat out beneath the monstrous iron juggernaut. Spike laughed and climbed back around into the cab. “I had a nice talk with our friends.” He looked at Faith.

“And did they see things your way?” Faith asked him.

“Took a little convincing but they had to bugger off. They were a might tired.” He couldn’t help but smile.

Faith just chuckled. “That was bad.” She slowed and rounded a corner. “Oh, this isn’t good.”

Before them, a large greyhound bus was pulled across the street. And a host of demons stood in front of it.

“Just mow through ‘em,” Spike said.

“Um…” She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “That bus outweighs this rig nearly two to one.”

“Bloody hell,” Spike said, sadly. He counted up how many demons there were. “There's nineteen out there, love.”

“Caught that.” She sighed and pulled the knife she got from the demon and flipped it over, taking hold of the blade. “Here. You’re gonna need this.”

“You figure on takin’ em out?”

“Or die tryin’. If it looks like things are goin’ bad, get the hell outta dodge.” She looked at him. “You gotta protect Dawn in case I don’t make it out of this alive. Make sure G is ready for the next slayer that comes along.”

“I’m not lettin’ you die, bint,” Spike said, his voice stern. “Dawn just lost a sister…I’m not lettin’ her lose her best friend. Things go south,  _you’re_  gonna be the one runnin’.” Spike said. “Ain’t a debate, girl.”

Faith hated running from a fight. She’d never been good at it. The only fight she ever ran away from followed her from coast to coast. She stared him in the eye. “You…you’d really sacrifice your life for them?”

He sighed and looked at the floor. “For Lil bit…yeah. I guess I would.”

She smiled at him. She moved over and pulled him in, kissing him passionately. “If we survive this…” She leaned back and gripped the door handle. “I owe you some champagne.”

He grinned and nodded. “Then let’s make sure we do, yeah?” The pair stepped out of the rig and moved around in front of it.

“I was wonderin’ when you were gonna figure out that you had nowhere to go.” The leader offered.

“Who the hell are you, anyway?” Faith asked. “And what makes you think you can come into my town and get away with it?”

“Name’s Razor.” He growled. “And take a look around, girl. This ain’t your town anymore. This is Hellion Central.”

“Funny. We been greasin’ your boys all night long.” She pulled the knife from her belt. “What’s one more?”

“Who do you think you are?” He asked, grinning. “The slayer?”

“Now you’re catchin’ on.” Faith said.

“Slayer’s dead, sister. And the only thing close is a jacked up toy.”

“You must not know anything about slayers, dumbass. Don’t you read your history?” Faith asked him.

“Every time one slayer dies, another one is called,” Spike said, chuckling. “Learned that one the hard way. Funny story…”

“Don’t rightly give a damn.” Razor said. “You can walk away, Billy. The girl stays.”

Spike smacked his lips. “Yeah, see. Got a bit of a problem with that. See, this here slayer is a friend of mine. Don’t run out on my friends.” He furrowed his brow. “Never thought I’d hear myself say that.”

Faith chuckled. “Do yourself a favor, Gillette, and get the fuck outta my town. I ain’t got time to deal with you assholes.”

“We kinda like it here.” Razor said.

Faith snarled and stalked toward him. “Then I gotta fuckin’ kill ya. I’m hurt, I’m tired, I’m wired and I’m pissed off.” A demon ran at her, his rusted brushknife lifted for killing strike. She snap-kicked him in the balls, doubling him over. She stepped aside and slammed her knife into the back of his neck. She never broke stride. “And I’m so not in the  _fuckin’_ mood.”

“Boys, tear it up.” Razor snapped. The demons as one rushed the slayer.

Spike ran in and dove into the throng, knocking most of them to the ground. He quickly kicked himself to his feet. He grabbed a loose machete and spun it in his left hand. He met up back to back with Faith. The demons surrounded them, growling. “Not one of your brighter ideas, if I’m honest, bint.”

“Yeah. Really wasn’t thinkin’ this one through.” Faith said, sadly. “Let’s just take out as many of these bastards as we can.”

“You got it,” Spike said, lunging for one of the demons. The beast swung his crowbar at the vampire. Spike ducked below the strike, taking the biker’s arm off with the machete. He spun, dragging the knife across the demon’s throat in a follow-up swing. A second beast raced in, his own knife leading. The blade bit into Spike’s chest. The blonde vampire hissed in pain, ramming both his blades into the demons chest and head, dropping him to the ground.

Faith straight kicked a vamp in the chest, sending him back into his colleagues. She stepped forward to follow him, stabbing him in the heart with her knife. She ripped the blade downward, cutting him from heart to navel. She hopped back as his innards splattered on the ground.

His friends recovered quickly and tried to get back in at her. She grabbed one of their arms and twisted it, slamming the blade that he was carrying into another demon’s gut. She then struck with her own knife, stabbing the first in the head and killing the second with steel to the neck. The pair went down in a heap. She was staggered as she felt a baseball bat crack against her lower back. Another shot caught her across the teeth, throwing her to the ground.

She fought past the blurring of her vision to see the pair of demons glowering down at her. “Damn.” She said, sadly. She was somewhat surprised when she saw an arrow suddenly bury itself on one of the demon’s chest. Another arrow quickly punched into the other’s back. Both fell to the ground, dead. She ignored the pain and kicked herself to her feet. She saw Spike still ass deep in alligators. One by one the demons around them were dropping. Someone was taking pot shots at them. She quickly pushed a demon aside as he ran at her. She snap kicked him in the stomach and slashed him across the side of the neck. He was dead before he ever hit the ground. She turned and looked across the street. She couldn’t help but grin.

Giles stood, in all his tweed-clad glory, with a crossbow firing off shot after shot. He was incredibly fast on the reload. “I’ve got you covered.” He said, putting arrow after arrow into the demons.

Faith looked at Razor and grinned. “Looks like it’s just you and me, Hoss.” She spun the blade in her hand. “What do you say, Mack? You wanna shot at the title?”

Razor grinned. “Why not?” He pulled a long pigsticker from behind his back. “Show me what you got.”

Faith lunged at him, her knife leading. Razor, no stranger to a knife fight dodged to the side, dragging his own blade down across her thigh. The padded pants took most of the damage, but he still drew a deep cut along the flesh. She grimaced and staggered past him. She whirled around, squaring off. “Nice shot.” She said to him. “Underestimated you. Thought you as lame and pathetic as the rest of your boys.”

“I’m from a worse a part town.” He said, motioning for her to bring it. “Let’s try this again, shall we?”

Faith inverted her blade and nodded. “Yeah. Let’s.” She waded back in her hand swiping in at his head.

He leaned back, letting the strike sail wide. He answered with a jab of his own, his knife aimed for her neck. She batted the strike away and snap kicked him in the leg. His knee faltered, but he remained standing. She followed up with a similar kick to his other leg. This time, he fell to his knees. She planted her boot hard in his chest, throwing him back to the ground. His knife went flying. She straddled him and drove her knife toward his head. He gripped her wrist and stopped her momentum.

She put her hand over the pommel of the blade and pushed with all her strength. “You’re …gonna…die.” She growled through her clenched teeth.

He engaged her in a test of strength. He was a big, badass demon that had terrified the backroads and small towns of America for decades. But this was the first time he’d ever had to deal with a slayer. This girl, a full foot shorter and probably less than half his weight…was simply stronger. The blade inched toward his face. The steel kissed his head right between his eyes and slowly pushed into his skull. He could feel the pain as it carved its way into his flesh. He growled, then screamed…then died.

Blood shot into the air like a geyser. Faith stared into his lifeless eyes. “Like I said, motherfucker.  _My_ town.” She rose from his body and looked around. The bikers had stopped fighting and were watching her. “He’s dead.” She said to them. She then pointed her knife at them all. “Every one of you _motherfuckers_  is gonna join him if you don’t get the hell out of my town. You’ve all lost your Sunnydale privileges.” She could see them considering it. “What’s it gonna be, boys? I ain’t got all night.”

Wisely, the few remaining demons got on their motorcycles and raced off into the night. She watched them go. Of the dozens that came to Sunnydale, less than a third were alive to tell about it. And Faith was fairly certain they would spread the word.

Sunnydale was a no man’s land for their kind. There were plenty of other small towns for them to terrorize. But this was  _her_  town. And she would go to her grave to defend it. And there was a no bullshit badass Watcher and a century old vampire with a thirst for demon screams to help her do it.

She watched them go and turned to Giles. He walked over to her, slinging his crossbow as he did so. “That was impressive.” He said, looking her over. “Are you alright?”

“I’m a little sore, I’m not gonna lie.” She offered. She looked at her watch and noticed it was just after three in the morning. “Let’s go home.” She said. She looked at Spike. “Take a rain check?”

Spike pulled a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket and lifted one to his mouth, lighting it. “I’m alright with that.” He looked at Giles. “Later.”

“Spike?” Faith said. He turned to look back at her. “I really do owe you.”

He stared at her a moment. “No problem, bint.” He walked off, waving back at them. “See ya round, slayer.”

“Let’s get you home and look you over.”

“Did you drive?” Faith asked him.

“No. I wasn’t about to present my car as a target to these…hooligans.” Giles said, looking about.

“Fair enough.” She motioned to the semi. “Come on.” She pulled her phone out as she walked, dialing Xander’s number.

“Hello?” The boy asked, his voice a little weary.

“You guys alright?” She asked him.

“Yeah. We had one come in through the window, but I handled it. After the, you know, screaming and crying.”

“Just wanted to make sure. They’ve bugged out. We might have a few stragglers, but I don’t think they should be an issue anymore.”

“What about Dawn, Willow, and Tara?” Xander asked, nervously. “These things were everywhere. I didn’t get a chance to go over and check on them.”

“They’re fine. I told ‘em to hold up in the basement. Spike and I found the Buffybot and took her home so Red can fix her up. I’m headed back there now. You want me to stop by and pick you up?”

“No. I’ll go over in the morning.” He said. “Right now I’m gonna just, you know, die.”

“I hear ya.” Faith said, wiping her eyes. “I’ll check in with you later.”

“Bye.” He said, ending the call. Faith then dialed Dawn’s cell. “Hey, little D. I’m on my way back to your place. I got Giles with me.”

“Okay,” Dawn said. “Can we come out of the basement yet?”

“Yeah, they’re pretty much gone.” Faith said, climbing in behind the wheel of the Pete. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She hung up and put her phone away.

“Where did you get this?” Giles asked as he sat down beside her.

“Found it. The driver was dead, didn’t figure he’d need it anymore.” Faith said, firing it up. She took off toward the Summer’s house. It had been a long ass night and she needed some rest.

She told the three girls what went down as Giles sewed up the massive gash on her back. She kept pressure on the leg wound and regaled them with the whole story.

After her wounds were tended, and Tara cooked a hearty meal of biscuits and gravy, Faith walked up into the room that Buffy once inhabited. The girl’s belongings had been removed, so that the only remaining items were a bed with plain linens, a small somewhat frilly nightstand, a matching dresser and bookshelf and a rocking chair in the corner. A small boom box sat on the top of the dresser.

Faith could smell that it had been recently cleaned. She briefly wondered where all Buffy’s things had been moved to, but shrugged it off.

She went over and sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the room. She expected to feel strange being in the girl’s room after all these years, but…she was oddly comfortable. “I’m tryin’ B.” She said to the empty room. “I’m doin’ my best to look after ‘em for ya. Just like ya asked me to.” She let out a sigh. “It’s tough. Tonight was…it was a hell of a challenge.”

The rocking chair began to move slightly. “B?” She said, looking at it. “Is that you?”

The radio suddenly kicked on. She was regaled with  _Nothing Else Matters_ by Metallica. She listened and couldn’t help but slowly smile. As the song ended, the station changed abruptly and an announcer came on suddenly. “…words to live by.” He said before radio shut off.

Faith nodded and stripped off the t-shirt and shorts that Tara let her borrow and climbed into bed. She pulled the sheet up over her and closed her eyes. She felt something brush the hair from her eyes and looked up to see no one. But she didn’t need to see to know who it was.

Slowly she drifted off to sleep.

 


	10. Chapter 10

 

Faith lifted the stack of boxes and carried them through the house and down into the basement of the Summers’ home. She set them against the wall and made sure they were clear of the walkway. She stood and wiped her hand across her brow. She turned and trotted back up the stairs.

“Faith?” Tara called her name as she walked through the kitchen.

“What’s up, T-bear?” The slayer said, stopping to look at the blonde.

The girl smiled and held up a plate of sandwiches. “I th-thought you might be hungry.”

Faith moved over to the island and took a seat, nodding. “I’m always hungry.” The slayer said, before digging into the chicken salad sandwiches. They were piled high with meat, tomato and lettuce. She devoured one of them in record time. “Awesome.” She said, taking the can of soda Tara put on the counter and shotgunning it. She stifled a burp and sighed. “Thanks, Tare.”

The girl nodded and smiled softly. “I-It’s the least I can do for our friendly neighborhood slayer.”

Willow bobbed into the room, moving up beside her girlfriend and kissing her passionately on the lips. “Hey.” She said happily.

“Hey b-back.” Tara returned, blushing.

Willow then turned to Faith. “You sure you don’t need help out there?”

The slayer shook her head. “Nope. It’s not really that bad. Besides, you guys are letting me use the garage for my rig, the least I can do is clear it out.” Faith said, taking a bite of her second sandwich. “And your sexy girlfriend made me sandwiches to keep me goin’.”

Willow looked at Tara and sighed heavily. “She is sexy, isn’t she?” She giggled as Tara turned a deep shade of red and went about making another sandwich for her love.

“Somethin’ the two of you share in common.” Faith said, simply.

Willow looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You think I’m sexy?” She looked down at herself. Dressed as she was in a simple purple shirt, a pair of black jeans and a dark brown long overshirt, she didn’t feel particularly…

“At the risk of pissing off your girl, I always kinda thought you were cute, Red. I mean back in the day you had the whole ‘hot nerd’ thing goin’ on. Don’t get me wrong, you were a walking fashion disaster, but I knew under all that, you were kickin’ the curves.” She motioned to the girl. “Case in point.”

Tara smiled at how uncomfortable the girl was. She found it to be cute as hell. That and she happened to know just how delicious Willow’s body looked under all those clothes.

Willow, on the other hand, never really saw herself that way. She dressed for comfort and to, well, not be naked. Beyond that she really never gave much thought to what she wore. Yes, she had gotten better about not teaming blue, black and orange horizontal striped shirts and black skirts with orange leggings…she shuddered. She had no idea what the hell she was thinking with that… But she just never saw herself as the kind of girl anyone went for. Oz was really into her, but…if he really loved her, he wouldn’t have left.

She looked at Tara. The girl was simply giving her that soft loving smile. In the end, Oz wasn’t what –  _who_  – she wanted. She was in love with Tara. Her heart soared at the simple sight of the girl.

“And let’s be honest.” Faith added. “Those pants are tight enough, they look like you stole them from my wardrobe. And that shirt isn’t really doing shit to hide your tits. Because I can tell it’s a little brisk in here.”

Willow looked down and was shocked to see her nipples standing at attention. She immediately put her arms over them.

Faith finished her sandwich, giggling. “Nothing to be embarrassed about, Red.” She pointed to hers. “I got the same problem.”

“But that’s you.” Willow said, staring at Faith’s chest. She had to admit, as much as she disliked the slayer back then…she’d always been very, very pretty. She honestly thought that Faith, though her looks were more down to earth, was every bit as attractive as Cordelia. As far as who was the bigger bitch? To her the jury was out on that one. Yes, Faith did go insane and murder people, but…at least she never tried to make everyone around her as miserable as possible to make herself feel better. That revelation actually startled Willow a little. “Huh.” She said, looking at Faith, cocking her head.

The slayer looked at her and down to her shirt. “What? I got chicken on my shirt or something?”

“No.” The Willow said. “I’m just realizing that even for all of your faults…you were a better human being than Cordelia back in high school.”

That surprised the hell out of Faith. “Red…”

“Yeah, you went a little off the deep end, but…I don’t think you ever really  _enjoyed_  the misery what you did caused. You didn’t do it because it made you feel good. I think you did it because it made the Mayor proud of you.” She moved around and stood in front of Faith. “That, more than anything, is what drove you to do what you did. It wasn’t for the pain, it wasn’t for the hurt that you inflicted…it was that smile that told you you were special to someone.”

Faith nodded. “I was never the good kid, you know? I was always a fuck-up.” She stared into Willow’s eyes. “I gotta get this out in the open, Red. In the interest of honesty and all that noise.” She wiped a tear from her eyes. “When we were in the Mayor’s office. You know what really made me mad? When you told me I had more than some people? That I had friends like Buffy?” She sighed. “You never said friends like  _us_.” She looked down at her hands. “That’s what bothered me the most.” She shrugged. “I know one word in the grand scheme of things may not seem like much to you, with like, the vocabulary from hell, but to me?” She looked Willow in the eyes. “That hurt.”

Willow understood where Faith was coming from, she really did. Being the misfit she was, pretty much her entire life, she knew the strength words could have. “I’m sorry Faith.” The girl said. “I should never have said that. I should have just done some kind of spell on you and dragged your unconscious butt back to Angel and let him try again.” The Redhead frowned.

Faith turned and crossed her arms, leaning them on the counter. “When he had me chained up in his mansion, I didn’t wanna hear it.” She shook her head. “Strangely, it wasn’t the way you and Xander looked at me. It was what Buffy kept saying. She kept using the whole ‘ _you_  killed a man’. She never took any responsibility.” She lay her head down on the table and pulled the memory of that night to the forefront. When in prison, she had to speak with a counselor. The woman, a transplant from the Watcher’s Council, made her fess up to a lot. But she also cleared Faith’s mind of a lot of things, leaving behind the cold hard truth. “He just stepped out of nowhere. We were going full tilt. Adrenaline doesn’t come with a safety. This guy bad, this guy good, you know? B grabbed him and slammed him into that dumpster.” She looked at Willow. “But…as hard as this is for you to believe, Red?” She shook her head. “I didn’t kill him.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

Faith sighed. “When I was on the inside, the Watcher’s sent a shrink to talk to me. I couldn’t have been honest with the prison head shrinkers and wouldn’t have been able to get anywhere. The chick was really cool and talked to me a lot. She helped me out quite a bit. But one of the things she did was get me to acknowledge my part in the crimes I committed. She even went so far as hypnotherapy to help me remember things. She took me back to that night in the alley. And when she did, I noticed something. I’ve done research since and came up with what really killed Deputy Mayor Finch.” She looked at Willow. “If you go back and look at his autopsy report, you find something pretty damn amazing. I’ll wait.”

Willow did as Faith suggested and went up to the room she and Tara shared to get her laptop. She brought it down to the kitchen and logged onto the internet. She typed away for a moment and looked at the file. Tara moved over and looked over her shoulder. Having read a few medical texts, she knew some of the words.

“Read what it says is the primary cause of death.” Faith said. There was no emotion in her voice whatsoever.

“Traumatic Pneumothorax caused by multiple internal perforations of the lungs.” She slowly lifted her eyes to Faith, but quoted the rest of the entry. “Secondary injuries include a single perforation of the left ventricle.”

“When B chucked him into that dumpster, she broke his ribs and pushed ‘em into his lungs.” Faith shook her head. “He was dead before I ever touched him. By the time B shouted no, I was too far into the swing to stop myself. But in the end, it wouldn’t have mattered.”

“Then why would Buffy blame you exclusively?” Tara said. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“It does if you think about it.” Faith offered. “Buffy didn’t know what she’d done. She only saw what went down. I had the stake in my hand, I pushed it into his chest.” She shook her head. “That autopsy was done two days after they found the body. The cops came and talked to me and B one night after he was dragged from the river.” She pointed to the computer screen. “That’s information that the cops didn’t have. They just had the stake angle.”

Willow was stunned. “If this is accurate, then Buffy really was the one that killed him.”

“Yeah. But she didn’t know that at the time. She was there, though. And she didn’t take any responsibility for that.” Faith shook her head. “I copped to it then, but I’m not gonna now. Finch was not on me.”

Tara moved over and hugged Faith from behind. “That’s alright. This is all past. It’s time to work on the future. And y-you’ve got a wonderful start.”

Faith patted her arms and stood up. “I just wanted to clear the air.” She turned and began going back into the garage.

“Faith?” Willow said. As the girl turned around she gave her a smile. “I may not have, you know, liked you then so much, but…I like you now.”

Faith gave her a dimpled grin. “Better late than never, Red.” The slayer offered. She headed back in to get to work.

Tara grinned as she watched Faith pop her hips as she walked back into the garage. Her smile got a tad wider as she saw her lovely red haired girlfriend doing the exact same thing.

Dawn sat on the roof of the house just outside her bedroom window and pulled out her cell phone and dialed Giles’ number.

“Hello?” He asked. “No…Anya. That’s a spell book, not a history text. It goes in the…” He paused. “Yes, I know you know the difference. But that book goes on the shelf to your left, not the one directly behind you.” He sighed heavily. “Thank you. Sorry, yes. Hello?”

“Hey, Giles. Sorry to disturb you, but I need to get a cashier’s check out of my account.” She said, simply.

“Why, exactly?” He asked her.

“To help Faith get her car fixed. The demon bikers that attacked town last week did a real number on it and I wanna help her fix it. I know she spent most of her money getting it, but she doesn’t have a lot of money to get it fixed.” Dawn offered.

“I suppose that’s fair.” He said, moving into the office at the Magic Box. He closed the door behind him and sat down at the desk. “How much do you think…”

“It’s gonna be pretty spendy, I’m sure. The plumbing and bills have already taken about thirty-five thousand I’ve probably only got about…”

“According to the statement I’m looking at, you’ve got a hundred and fifteen thousand left in your account.” Giles said.

Dawn furrowed her brow. “I thought they were only giving me, like, a hundred grand?”

“They gave you a hundred and fifty, total.” He didn’t see where she was confused.

“Wait.” The girl said. “Did they give Buffy back pay for the time she was still fighting but wasn’t working for them?”

“I believe so, yes,” Giles said. “It only makes sense. She was still following the rules and still doing as she was supposed to. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t.”

“Oh,” Dawn said. “Well…cool. I need a cashier’s check for like…” She thought about it. “Fifteen grand.”

“Fifteen thousand dollars?” Giles said. “Dawn…that’s a lot of money.”

“Yeah, I know. But Faith deserves it. If she has to save up, it’s gonna take her forever to get her car fixed. I don’t want her to have to sit and stare at her car, doing only little things to get it done. She should be able to be back on the road quicker than that.”

“I’m sure Faith can manage the financing of her repairs just fine…”

“Giles, listen to the words that I am speaking. I-am-going-to-help-her.” She spoke slowly. “I need you to call the bank and okay it. Me and Faith are going down there today and we need to get this done. So make with the bank doo-dah.”

He groaned and massaged the bridge of his nose. “I swear you and Buffy are so alike.”

Dawn’s heart froze in her chest a moment and a lump found its way into her throat. “That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

“Oh, Dawn I’m sorry.” Giles offered, suddenly regretful. “Of-of course. I’ll make the call right away.”

“It’s alright. I just…I still miss her. Even after all these months.”

“I know.” He said, his voice full of sorrow. “You try and have a good day, okay?”

“I will.” She said, ending the call. She sat there a moment with her head resting on her knees. She felt tears in her eyes and tried hard not to cry. For a few minutes she remained thus before climbing back in her window and making her way downstairs. Tara sat on the sofa with her sock-covered feet cross on the coffee table and Willow lying with her head in Tara’s lap and her feet dangling over the end of the sofa.

“Hey, Dawnie,” Tara said, smiling. “What’s up?”

“Where’s Faith?”

“She’s in the garage tinkering with her car,” Willow said, pointing to the kitchen.

Dawn nodded and trotted through the kitchen to the garage door and pulled it open. Faith knelt on the floor with a pry-bar trying to pull the mutilated fender away from the front wheel. Her strength was doing the job, but it was bending the fender all to hell. “You gonna be able to fix it?” She asked.

Faith sat back and wiped her hand across her head. “Well, yeah. Fender’s shot, door needs to be replaced and the right quarterpanel is hammered. The damage to the steering isn’t actually as bad as I thought, but it’s still gotta all come out. Luckily the engine and hood weren’t messed up.” She stood and tossed the pry-bar down on the work bench. “Just a matter of money and time. I can do the work myself, but…coming up with the cash is gonna be tough.” She shrugged and turned to Dawn. “So what brings you outta the D-cave?”

“Get the keys to the Jeep. We’re going for a ride.” Dawn said, moving toward the Cherokee.

“Um…care to explain where?” Faith asked.

“You’ll see when we get there, now won’t ya?”

The slayer furrowed her brow and moved into the house, taking the keys off the hanger by the back door. She then went into the living room. “Little D wants to go somewhere, so I’m playin’ taxi in the Jeep. Just wanted to let you ladies know.”

Tara and Willow both nodded. “Drive safe.” Tara offered.

“You need anything while I’m out?” Faith asked.

“If you wanna pick up a couple bags of hamburger buns, I can m-make burgers tonight. We’ve got everything for it.” Tara said.

“Oh, that’s sounds good.” Faith returned. “I can stop by my place and pick up the bacon I have. Make it a party.”

Willow nodded her head. “I like bacon.”

“I thought you were Jewish, Red. Isn’t it like sacrilege for you to eat pork or something?”

“I’m Jewish-ish?” She said, giving her a weak smile. At Faith’s chuckle, she sighed. “I’m as Jewish as I need to be. I don’t see any god damning me to eternal torment because I have bacon on a cheeseburger or sausage with my Grand Slam Breakfast.” She pouted. “Besides, I’ve worked up a lot of good karma over the years. I deserve a little bit of leeway.”

“You’re cute when you pout.” Faith said. “I’ll be back with the squirt in a bit.” She disappeared into the kitchen.

The pair of witches heard the garage door squeal shut and the Jeep fire up. Tara looked down at Willow. “C-can I ask you a qu-question?” The redhead looked up at her and nodded. “If you had the chance with her, w-would you?”

“Would I what?” Willow asked. She sat up and looked at her girlfriend. “Oh, no. Tara. I love  _you_. I’m not attracted to Faith, I…”

Tara giggled. “I know you’d never cheat on me, Willow. I’m not worried about that. I’m just wondering if you think Faith is pretty.” She took the girl’s hands. “I do.”

“You think she’s…?” Willow was somewhat taken aback by that. “Have you thought about…being with her?”

Tara nodded. “I’d never do anything with her…” She bit her lip and stared into Willow’s eyes. “Without you with me.”

Willow was rendered speechless. “Are you suggesting that…with you, me and Faith?” Her eyebrows shot up. “Together?”

“You already know Faith would be up for it,” Tara said, simply. “The past few days she’s been checking the both of us out.”

“But remember what Spike said.” Willow offered. “They…did it.” She shuddered. “As much as I like Spike…eww.”

“He saved her life, Willow. Faith has a belief that the only reward she can offer someone is her body.” Tara lowered her eyes. “We’ve talked a lot. She told me that the reason she slept with Xander was because it was the only way she had to say thank you.” She shook her head. “She seems to think that she has to give herself up physically and sexually to repay any act of kindness.”

Willow nodded. She’d talked to Xander after they’d done the deed and he said that he thought as much. Despite the fact that everyone said that, for Faith, what they shared never meant anything, deep down, he knew that wasn’t true. He’d shown Willow a letter he got after Faith had been in prison for a little over six months, that explained why she’d done what she’d done.

The letter said, outright that what they shared meant the world to her. That he’d given her something no woman would ever get to have. He’d let her be his first and that stayed with her. She threw him out so harshly, because she could tell that he was a good, honest man and she couldn’t bring herself to get attached to anyone again. She was too scared of being hurt. She begged for his forgiveness and hoped to be able to make it up to him someday. She found it strange that no one, not even Angel received a letter from her when she was locked up.

“What are you thinking about?” Tara asked.

“I don’t know if I should say anything or not, but…” She looked at her lover and sighed. “Xander got a letter from her when she was in jail. She pretty much admitted what you just said.”

Tara nodded. “I like her, Willow. And I can tell when she’s around you that she has the same effect on you.”

“I-I don’t…”

Tara put her finger to Willow’s lips to shush her. “It’s okay. It’s a natural reaction. You have the same exact reaction to me.” She offered with a smile. “I’m not mad. I’m not jealous. I’m actually a little relieved. She’s a very pretty girl. There’s no shame in it.”

“But Tara…” Willow said. “This is Faith we’re talking about. The get some, get gone, girl.”

“That was then, Willow. This is now.” Tara said, simply. “Look at the past couple of weeks. Faith has been here pretty much the entire time. She had sex with Spike, once. That was literally the night after the demon bikers attacked. She hasn’t even gone to the Bronze. She’s always here to make sure Dawn is up and gives her a ride to school. She spends the days either here, helping with housework or at the Magic Box training. She picks Dawn up from school and takes her out for a milkshake before bringing her home. She only goes home to shower and sleep. And in the past week, she’s spent at least three nights over here.” The blonde shook her head. “She’s not taking any time for herself. You said that when she came to town, she was a loner. Always doing her own thing. Now she never lets us out of her sight.”

Willow had to admit that Tara had a point. Faith was always around. “Maybe…” She was surprised she was about to say this, but should couldn’t stop herself. “Maybe we should invite her to move in here.”

That shocked Tara. “I wasn’t thinking…”

“No, it makes sense. We keep Bu…the spare room made up for her, anyway. She keeps clothes here. Why not just ask her to move in? I’m sure Dawn would like having her here.” She motioned to the garage. “She already has her car and that old army motorcycle parked in the garage.”

Tara thought about it. “You’re right. We could talk to her about it tonight if you want.”

Willow nodded. “I think we should. Show her that we truly forgive her and that we want to do things right this time.”

Tara gave her a lascivious smile. “You know…” She pulled her girlfriend in and kissed her. “You never did answer my question.”

Willow’s eyes were closed. “What question is that?”

“If you had a chance with Faith, would you?”

The redhead opened her eyes and stared into Tara’s baby blues. “I  _am_  the one suggesting she move in, now aren’t I?”

Faith drove along in the Jeep. “So D. Where we goin’?”

“The bank.” The teen said. “I gotta pull out some cash.” She put her arm up on the edge of the window.

Faith nodded and pulled up to a stoplight. She was shocked with how quickly the damage the biker boys did was cleared up. The hulks of the smashed and burned out cars had been cleared from the streets. The wife of the man who owned the Peterbilt she’d used thanked her for looking after it. Faith even drove it a hundred and ten miles east to the property they owned before grabbing a bus back to Sunnydale. She never asked for anything from the woman. Didn’t even know her name.

They drove into the parking lot and came to a stop. Faith followed Dawn into the small building, nodding politely to the armed security guard as they walked past. They moved into the line and stood, waiting for their turn. “What did you need the cash for, anyway? And why couldn’t you get it from the ATM outside?”

“I need a cashier’s check,” Dawn said.

“What do you need a cashier’s check for?” Faith asked, crossing her arms and staring around the room.

“Gotta give it to someone to pay for something,” Dawn said. “I cleared it with Giles this morning.”

Faith shrugged. She didn’t really care, she was just making conversation. “God, I hate waiting in lines.”

Dawn shrugged. “Necessary evil.” She turned to Faith. “Can you…slay lines?”

Faith looked at the several people in front of Dawn. “If I wanted to go back to prison.” A sudden ear-shattering roar and the crash of the huge glass doors in the front of the building stole everyone’s attention. A beast, easily cresting the seven foot mark leapt in, grabbing a random bank worker and hurling him through a glass partition. She found it funny that he was wearing a nice red leather jacket, a black t-shirt, a pair or really nice pair of Levi’s and some exquisite Lugz. “Him, on the other hand.” Faith said, grinning. “Don’t move!” She said to Dawn. The girl nodded.

The demon was roaring and screaming, tossing people about and generally making a nuisance of himself.

“Hey!” She said, walking up to him. She snatched one of the metal posts that held the guide straps that formed waiting area and lifted it, spinning it around. “If you wanna make a withdrawal…” He lunged at her, swinging a huge meaty fist. She ducked beneath it and caught him in the ribs with the post sending him flying across the room to smash into the wall. “You gotta fill out a slip, first.”

He rose to his feet and growled, running at her. She took two steps and dropped to a crouch, hurling the post at his feet. The brass stand cracked against his shins and caused him to tumble forward. She jumped and landed a foot in his chest, hurling him back to the ground. She jumped onto his chest and began pummeling him. He recovered enough to punch her in the face, knocking her off of him. She rolled to her feet and took off after him. The demon quickly grabbed the guard and threw him at her. She caught him and set him down. When she turned back to the door, the demon was gone. “Dammit.” She said, shaking her head.

Dawn stayed where she was and turned back to the counter. Faith came up beside her, setting the post back where it was when she moved past. “Huh.” The slayer said, following Dawn up to the counter. “That was fast.”

The teen smiled and looked at the woman. “I’d like to make a withdrawal in the form of a cashier’s check, please.” Dawn slid the slip along with her ID under the window.

The teller was terrified. “Um…” She said, looking around, scared out of her mind. “We-we’re closing for the day.”

Dawn frowned. “Look. Just print the stupid check. It’s not that hard.”

“I think…” The teller began, taking the ID in her trembling hands.

“Look, lady.” Faith said, pointing to her split lip. “I just got punched by a fucking demon in your lobby. If you don’t want a high priced lawyer crawling so far up your asses you’ll puke legal text, I strongly suggest you give my friend her damn check.”

“Just cut the damn check, Celia.” A man shouted from further down the counter. “We don’t need another scene.” He was tall with a bald head and glasses. “Sorry, ladies.”

The woman typed into her system, got Dawn’s signature and handed the girl an envelope with the check inside. “W-will that be all?” She asked, her voice trembling.

“That’ll do,” Dawn said, taking her ID and putting back in her wallet. “Thank you.” She turned and walked with Faith out of the bank. “You okay?” She asked the slayer.

“Yeah.” She said, turning and looking at the destruction. “Just wondering what a demon was doing in a bank.”

“Oh, I know this one,” Dawn said. “To get a loan, to buy a motorcycle to get to the other side.”

Faith raised an eyebrow. “Wow. That was painful.”

“You really didn’t give me a lot to work with.” The girl said, climbing into the Jeep and fastening her seat belt.

Faith sat behind the wheel and stared at the building. “Still…” She shook her head. “Was he after money?”

Dawn shook her head. “I couldn’t tell you.”

“Please.” Faith said looking at the girl. “Sad as this is to say, you’ve probably got more demon hunting chops than I do right now. You’ve clocked nearly as much field time.”

Dawn grinned. “I clocked field time.”

“I need to talk to Tweed.” Faith said, firing up the rig. “Something about this is hinky.”

“Well, before you do…” Dawn offered her the envelope. “Here.”

Faith looked at it and back to the teen. She then took it. “What’s this?”

“It’s the cashier’s check I just got. It’s for you.” Dawn said, smiling.

Faith opened it and looked at it. “Fifteen thousand dollars?” She lifted her eyebrows. “No.” She shook her head and handed it back. “I can’t take this, D.”

“Any particular reason why?”

“Yeah. Because your sister risked her damn life for this money. She had to fucking die for you to have it. I got my own money.” Faith said. “I’m not gonna take this from you.”

“Yeah, you are,” Dawn said. “You’re gonna take it because you’re my friend. You’re gonna take it because friends help friends out. You’re gonna take it because your car needs fixed and you’re not gonna be able to pay to have it fixed for a really long time with your budget.” Dawn blushed. “And because I wanna do something nice for you.”

Faith just stared at her. “If that’s really what you want. But just so you know, I’m gonna pay every dime of this back.”

“Not with money,” Dawn said. “You’re gonna teach me to fight. Teach me to be like Xander and Giles. I wanna be able to take care of myself. At ten bucks an hour, I got the world’s baddest personal trainer for the next fifteen hundred hours.”

Faith couldn’t help but grin. “That’s fair.” She said, folding the check and putting it in her pocket. “Gonna have to wait for a couple of days to cash it, though.” She began pulling out of the parking lot. “Looks like bank’s gonna be closed.”

Dawn giggled as they headed off.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Faith stood at the island in the kitchen slicing tomato for the burgers that Tara was currently in the midst of preparing. She could smell the bacon cooking away in the oven. “Do you want cheese on yours?” Tara asked.

Faith looked at her and nodded. “Please.” She said, moving to the half head of lettuce. “You don’t mind if I just shred the lettuce instead of trying to leaf it, do you?”

Tara shook her head. “Nope.” She said. “I’m not picky with my produce.”

“Cool.” The slayer spun the knife in her hand and quickly diced her way through, scooping it up with the knife and tossing it into a bowl. She rinsed her blade, dried it on a hand town and set it in drain rack. She likewise cleaned her cutting board and put it in beside the knife. Looking at the fixin’s, she was happy with the spread. She was surprised that Dawn had wanted onions for her burgers.

“How many did you w-want sweetie?” Tara asked.

“Depends. What do we have to go with it?” Faith asked.

“Me and Willow made potato salad.” Tara said. She looked at Faith, and off of her look, pulled the bowl from the fridge. “Here.” She said, taking a spoon and scooping some out. When Faith leaned in, Tara pulled the spoon back and offered it to her. “Please, for the love of god, don’t do the tongue thing.”

Faith lifted her eyebrow. “Tongue thing?”

Tara blushed. “It’s embarrassing. Just…take the damn bite.”

Faith shrugged. “Okay.” She stuck the spoon in her mouth and chewed slowly. “Not bad. Little on the sweet side for me. I can tell you used sweet relish and…is that salad dressing?”

Tara nodded. “It’s off brand Miracle Whip.” She shrugged. “It’s just so damned expensive.”

“Hey, I hear you.” Faith said, nodding. “I can always add a little salt to mine. But overall, that’s a pretty good potato salad.”

“Have you ever made it before?” Tara asked.

“When I was on the inside working in the kitchens, I had to put it together. I usually used regular mayo with some mustard and dill pickle juice. I did add some sweet relish to cut the tartness of the mustard and juice. Girls seemed to like it okay.”

“I’ll let you make it next time. This is how my mom used to make it.” Tara said, putting the plastic wrap back over it.

“There’s just as many potato salad recipes as there are meatloaf recipes. No one does it the same way. I’ve actually always wanted to make it out of red potatoes.” Faith offered. She grabbed some plates down from the cupboard and carried them out to the table, setting places for everyone. She then began carrying the veggies in to set up the assembly line.

Dawn came thundering down the stairs, and bobbing into the kitchen. “I smell yummy bacon and cheeseburger goodness.”

“They’re almost done.” Tara said, pulling the patties out of the pan and placing them on a large platter. She put two more in the pan. “This should be just about it.” She put the lid on the skillet and knelt to check the bacon. “Perfect.” She said, smiling. She grabbed a pair of potholders and removed the broiler pan, setting it on a hot pad on the island.

“Anything I can do to help?” Dawn asked.

“If you wanna get a plate down and line it with paper towels, then pull the bacon off the pan with those tongs there, that would be lovely,” Tara said.

“Sure.” The teen said, following the instructions the blonde had laid out. She smiled at Faith as she walked in.

“Hey, little D. Get your homework done?”

“Yeah. Wasn’t that bad.” She said, shrugging.

“Cool.” The slayer said, taking the two liters of soda out to put them on the table. “How much longer, there, T-bear?”

“About five or six minutes.” She said, flipping the patties over.

Faith nodded and grabbed the huge bowl of potato salad out of the fridge along with an armload of condiments. She carried it all into the dining room and put it on the table. Willow came in from the living room, sighing.

“What’s the matter, Red?” Faith asked. “You look beat.”

“I’m trying to reprogram the Buffybot.” Willow returned. “It’s just rough going. She was original Spike’s sex-bot.” She shuddered. “I’ve got a lot of that out of her system, but whenever she gets severely damaged her algorithms kind of…run home to mommy.”

“A lot of talkin’ about bleach’s washboard abs and shapely butt?” Faith asked.

“Yeah. And it gets real old, real quick.” Willow said, frowning.

“Well, in double B’s defense…” Faith began.

“Never…tell me,” Willow said. “Never.” She walked over and poked Faith in the stomach playfully. “You hear me, slayer?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Faith said, snapping a salute. “But if you’re gonna poke me, why not do it a little lower?” She bobbed her eyebrows.

Willow stared into her eyes and giggled. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Of course, I would. Your girlfriend would get a taste, too. There’s plenty of Faith to go around.” The slayer said, smacking Willow’s butt before trotting into the kitchen.

“Hands!” The witch said, rubbing her bottom, and following the girl in.

“What are you two doing out there?” Tara asked as she finished up with the meat. She turned the burner off and placed two slices of cheese on the burgers, setting the lid back on for a couple of minutes.

“Just givin’ your girl a hard time.” Faith said, leaning against the counter.

Tara looked at her smiling. “Y-you’re a little too light in the trousers to do that.” The response got a surprised look from everyone.

“Tara!” Willow said, blushing.

Dawn just giggled.

Faith raised an eyebrow. “And I thought  _you_  were the shy one.”

Tara shrugged. “I’m not as shy when I’m around people I’m comfortable with.” The girl said, softly.

Faith stared at her a moment. “I’m glad you can be comfortable around me.” She looked to Willow. “Sorry if I violated your bubble there, Red.”

The redhead smiled and waved a dismissive hand. “I’m just flattered you noticed that I even have a butt.”

Dawn sighed and rolled her eyes. “Get a room.” She said, carrying the plate of bacon into the dining room.

“Gonna have to find one with a huge bed.” Faith said. “The tiny ass twin in the room I sleep in isn’t gonna cover it.”

“Ours is a king,” Willow said. When Faith whirled on her, she giggled. “My, that was forward, wasn’t it?” She then turned and walked into the dining room with a stack of cups.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say Red just hit on me.” Faith said, looking at Tara.

“That’s what it sounded like.” The blonde said, pulling the patties form the skillet. She took it and filled it with hot water before setting it on the counter.

“Okay, T-bear all the joking aside…” Faith began.

The girl lifted the platter and made her way past the slayer. “Come on. We don’t want the burgers getting cold.” She said, with a wide grin. “Grab the buns from the island would you?” She asked.

Faith took both packages and carried them into the dining room. She dropped them on the table and took her seat across from Willow. Dawn sat at head of the table, with Faith to her left and Willow to her right. Tara sat beside the redhead. Faith looked at Tara with a raised eyebrow. She and Willow both shared the same little knowing smirk. Dawn, however was elbow deep in making her hamburgers. She bit her lip and looked to Willow. Something had been weighing on her and, before things went any further, Faith needed desperately to clear the air. “Hey, um…Red? Can I talk to you a minute?” She asked, softly, motioning to the garage.

Willow looked at her. “Sure.” She followed the slayer out of the dining room and through the kitchen. She could tell that Faith was suddenly nervous, and that immediately put her on edge. “Is something wrong?”

“Yes. And I need to make it right.” Faith said, moving over to lean against her car. She gave herself a moment to get everything straight in her head. “I’ve always kind of had a problem admitting when I was wrong.” She looked into Willow’s green eyes. “I am really, really sorry, Red.”

“Sorry for…?” Willow didn’t understand.

“When I first got back to town and I was standing in front of all of you at Tweed’s place, I said…” Faith swallowed. “I said that I never would have hurt you when I found you in the Boss,” She stopped herself. “When I found you in the Mayor’s office.” Tears began falling down her cheeks. “Jesus Christ, I didn’t think this would be this hard.”

“Are you trying to say you…?” Willow furrowed her brow. “Would you have hurt me, Faith?”

Faith stared into her eyes. “I don’t know.” She said, her voice nearly failing her. “I was so twisted up, I…” She rubbed her face in her hands. “I keep thinking back and asking myself ‘would I? Wouldn’t I have?’ And I can’t fucking answer the question. At the time I was so fucked up, I honestly don’t know.”

Willow wasn’t sure what to say. To know that the girl in front of her could have just as easily cut her throat as let her walk away was… _sobering_. Part of her was understandably angered. Faith stood and, for all intents and purposes lied to her face. That hurt the redhead deeply.

But Willow had to give Faith credit for admitting to the lie. For someone like Faith, that was a huge step. Progress had been made to seal the breach between the two of them. Willow had even begun to flirt back with the girl. “Why tell me this now?” She asked.

Faith sighed. “Because you deserve to know the truth, Red. If I can’t be honest with you, I don’t deserve to be in the same room with you.” She could see the anger in the redhead’s eyes. “Look, I’ll go ahead and take off. I shouldn’t have…”

“Shut up, Faith.” Willow said to her. She moved forward and stood in the girl’s face. “I’m only going to ask you this once, then I’m going to consider the matter dropped. Do you, in here,” She tapped Faith’s chest. “Regret the choices you made when you worked for him? When you came after all of us?”

“Every damn day.” Faith said, her voice hitching. “I’m not screwing with you, Red. I would give anything to take back what I did. But I can’t. I can only pray that someday you’ll be able to…”

“It’s okay, Faith,” Willow said.

“No, Red it’s not.” Faith said. “I…” She was silenced as Willow pressed a finger to her lips.

“I said it’s okay.” Willow reiterated. “You messed up. I get it. What I said to you when you found me was out of line. I didn’t know you then and I didn’t want to. I could have said a lot of things to you and instead while you held me at knife point, I decided to antagonize you.” She gave Faith a little smile. “Not one of my brighter moments. I think at that moment, I could have saved you.”

Faith furrowed her brow. She gently pushed Willow’s hand aside. “What are you talking about?”

“When you were standing there looking at me, you said ‘give me the speech again, please. Faith, we're still your friends. We can help you. It's not too late’. I think, looking back on it, it was a cry for help. If I’d have tried to convince you, it might have worked.”

“You can’t know that, Red. Even I don’t know…”

“Well, we sure as heck know that calling you a big selfish worthless waste didn’t help,” Willow said with a chuckle.

Faith couldn’t help but likewise chortle. “Yeah, you didn’t win any brownie points with that one.”

“My jaw agrees with you, believe me.” Willow said to her. “The point is, Faith, I had a chance and I didn’t take it. Yes, I was jealous of you and Buffy. Because of that, I never reached out. You had no reason to like or trust me, at least not back then.” She took Faith’s hands. “But I have a chance now. And so do you. Buffy came to you for a reason. She didn’t come to me, she didn’t go to Tara or Giles. She came to _you_. There _has_ to be a reason. She knew, even back then, that there was something still good in you. That’s why she went to LA, I think. It wasn’t to kill you or hurt you. I think, initially, she planned to give it one last shot, but…”

“B was pissed when she showed up.” Faith grinned. “She said if I tried apologizing, she’d beat me to death.”

“Can you blame her?” Willow asked.

“Not at all. B’s always been pretty impulsive. And I fucked with her life a lot.” She sighed and shook her head. “She didn’t deserve what I did to her.”

“No, she didn’t. But she had good intentions when she left for LA. But seeing you again sparked a lot of bad feelings. And seeing you with Angel sure didn’t help. But notice that she suggested jail. And much to her surprise, you went. When she came back and told me about it, she said she was actually proud of you and really did hope you would be able to get past what you’ve done and be a better person.”

“I tried Red. I tried so hard.” Faith said, again tearing up.

“No, Faith.” Willow said, shaking her head. “You didn’t try.” That earned her a hurt look. Willow grinned at the slayer. “You _succeeded_. You gave up everything to come back here. To the one town that you probably wanted to avoid more than anything else…and you came back.” She pulled Faith in to a hug. “And I’m glad you did.”

Faith was stunned for a moment, then returned the redhead’s embrace. “Thanks, Red. Thanks for not being mad at me. I might not have been clear then, but I am now.” She held the girl at arm’s length. “I promise I’m never gonna let anything bad happen to any of you. I know I can’t ever replace B in your life, Red. But I’m gonna try my damndest to be a friend. You deserve it.”

“You’re already my friend, Faith. Telling me the truth made sure of that. Because friends don’t keep secrets.” Willow said. “That’s what led to all the problems in the first place.”

“Never again, Red.” Faith bit her lip. “I kinda wanted to ask you…does me calling you Red bother you?”

Willow shook her head. “No. It’s just your way.” She giggled. “I kind of like having a nickname.”

“Cool.” Faith said. She wiped her eyes. “This was some straight up emotional shit.”

“And it took a lot of courage. Now it’s over and done.” She patted Faith’s shoulder. “Let’s go have dinner before Dawn eats it all,” Willow said, taking Faith’s hand.

“Kid’s definitely got an appetite.” Faith added. The pair entered the house to see Dawn chowing down on what must have been her third burger. “You better have saved us some, squirt.” Faith said to the girl.  

“Hey, you snooze, you lose,” Dawn said around her bite.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, sweetie,” Tara said. “And don’t worry Faith. I made plenty.” She raised an eyebrow as she saw Faith’s face. “Everything okay?”

“Faith just had to get something off her chest,” Willow said, grinning. “And sadly, it wasn’t her shirt.”

“Willow!” Tara and Dawn both cried out.

“Jesus, Red.” Faith said, bursting out laughing.

“What? I can’t be forward and flirt a little?” Willow asked.

Faith just shook her head, deciding to leave the witch to her fun. She felt worlds better, having cleared the air.  

She busied herself with prepping her food. She was a girl that liked everything on her burgers. Lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles. She was nice and kept the bacon to a minimum. She slathered her bread with mayo, ketchup, and mustard and nodded. She took her first bite and closed her eyes, moaning. “God, that’s good.”

“I’ve never seen someone so pleased to eat a cheeseburger,” Dawn said, giggling.

“Spend a year and change with a turbo metabolism living off something that would make an anorexic whine.” Faith said, taking another bite.

“Was it really that bad?” Willow asked.

Faith shook her head. “Not really. The meals were pretty balanced, to be honest with you. One of the reasons I worked in the kitchens in the mornings. You could eat pretty much whatever you wanted it. It was nice.”

“Where did you work at all told?” Tara asked as she took a ginger bite of her own burger.

“I did a stint in the laundry. That’s usually where they put the new fish. It’s hot, it’s crappily ventilated and smells like bleach all the damn time. Did that for about a month then got moved to the motor pool. Spent my time working on the prison buses and vans and shit.” Faith thought a moment. “Did that for a couple months in the mornings and started working the library in the afternoons. After that I worked the kitchens from four in the morning until noon and kept working in the library until lights out.”

“Didn’t you get any time off?” Willow asked her.

“I put in about three hours a day in the yard. Usually just worked out. After working in the kitchens I could have had the rest of the day in the tank, but I volunteered for the library. It was quieter, less people and no one really came in there to start trouble.”

“I don’t understand why you didn’t just break out,” Dawn said. “I mean, you’re a slayer. You could have gotten out anytime you wanted to.”

Faith nodded. “Yeah, I probably could have. But here’s the thing, kid. I needed to be there. I needed to have the time and relative safety to deal with my shit. Yeah, I got most of it figured out, but I still got some issues.” She flicked her eyes to Willow, giving her a soft smile. The redhead returned it. “Besides that, being in jail was where B wanted me. I partially did it for her.” She lowered her eyes and tried really hard not to cry. “I…I always held out the hope that maybe, just maybe when and if I ever got out, she and I could try it again. Be friends, I mean. We never really clicked before. Maybe for a little while, but…” She shook her head.

Willow reached over and took hold of her hand. Tara rested a hand on her arm. “She asked you to look out for all of us.” The blonde said.

Willow nodded. “She wouldn’t have asked if she didn’t trust you. Dead or alive, I think it’s safe to say Buffy considers you a friend, Faith.”

“Funny thing happened the first night I stayed over here. I was gettin’ ready for bed when…” She bit her lip. “It’s kinda strange, you know?”

“What happened?” Willow asked.

“The radio on the dresser came on by itself and played  _Nothing Else Matters_.”

“Metallica?” Dawn asked. She chuckled. “That’s you, alright.”

“Then the radio just powered off. B knows it’s one of my favorite songs.” Faith said. “It was just strange.”

Willow smiled. “When I was in the kitchen, just before I called to invite you over for dinner that first night, the radio in there came on and played  _Heaven_ by Brian Adams. I know Buffy really liked that song.”

Dawn shrugged. “The radio in my room has done that at least a dozen times since Buffy died. Last night it played  _Don’t Worry, Be Happy_. I know it was Buffy because she knows I can’t stand that song.”

Faith chuckled. “Yeah, that definitely sounds like B.”

“So we know Buffy is still looking out for us, in her own way,” Tara said. “I think she’ll always be there, just making sure we’re all doing okay.”

Faith nodded, looking around. “It’s nice to know.”

“So, Faith…” Willow said, looking at Tara and nodding.

“What?” The slayer asked, chowing through another burger.

“Tara and I discussed something earlier today.”

Faith lifted her eyebrow. “Really?”

The blonde nodded. “Keep in mind, this is only when you’re ready, okay?” As the brunette nodded in return, she continued. “You’ve been a huge help around here. Making sure Dawnie is up and ready for school. Giving her rides to and from and just being there for her. You help out with the housework and given that you’ve spent the half the past week here…” She bit her lip a moment then smiled. “We were wondering if you’d like to move in? If the room you have isn’t large enough, we can talk to Xander about building a little apartment downstairs in the basement.”

Faith was shocked by the question. “You serious?” As the girls both nodded, she looked at Dawn. “What do you think?”

“I think it would be awesome.” She said, happily. “I’d love to have you around.”

Faith sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. “I gotta admit, I’m surprised you guys asked.” She looked at them both. “Look. I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I’m just not sure I’m ready for that, yet. I just spent the past year and a half locked up with a bunch of chicks. I’d like a little while just to have some freedom. I mean, I know you’re right. I’m here more than I’m home, but…”

“You like having the option.” Willow said, smiling. “We know. That’s why we wanted to make the invitation and let you know the door is always open.”

Faith grinned widely. “I really do appreciate the offer.”

“You’re welcome, Faith.” Tara said. Willow nodded. The redhead was about to speak when she was cut off…

By the front door of the house exploding inward. A hail of shrapnel and wood flew into the house.

Tara, Willow, and Dawn screamed in surprise. Faith shot to her feet and leapt, taking a step into the middle of the table, careful not to put her foot in anything and ran headlong at the demon that stormed into the home. She recognized him from the bank earlier in the day.

“Slayer.” He snarled, moving toward her.

“This party’s invitation only, ass-hat. And I didn’t see your name on the guest list.” Faith said, flying into a jump-kick.

The demon was ready for her and gripped her outstretched leg with his massive right hand and planted his other on her ribs. He spun and hurled her across the living room.

Faith nearly collided with the wall, when she felt herself stop suddenly and lower gingerly to the floor. She turned to see Tara and Willow holding hands with their other outstretched toward her.

The demon saw the display and turned back to the witches. “Magic users, huh?” He roared and ran at them. He took a few steps and slammed into a resilient magical barricade that was like hitting an iron wall. He pummeled on the barrier trying to fight his way through it.

“Psst. Faith!” Dawn snapped from the kitchen. “Here.”

Faith turned to see Dawn holding a large butcher knife. The girl slid it across the floor. The slayer snagged it up and nodded, then turned back to the demon. “Hey, asshole. Let’s try this again.”

He whirled to see her coming at him. He didn’t see the knife as she had it tucked in ice-fashion against her forearm. As he came in, she ducked below his huge fist, dragging the knife across the back of his knee as she rolled past. He staggered and fell to his knees.

Faith came up behind him and jammed the knife down into the side of his neck. Blood shot like a geyser into the air. She then gripped his head and pulled it back, slicing his throat down to the bone.

He gurgled and rasped as he fell to the floor, dead.

“That was…unpleasant,” Tara said, stepping forward. “A-any idea what this thing is?”

Faith knelt and looked at him. She turned his head and furrowed her brow. “I think…I think I’ve seen one before.”

“He was at the bank,” Dawn said, eating one of her burgers.

“D, get a plate. You’re dripping ketchup and mustard on the carpet.” Faith said, not looking up. The teen nodded and went in, bringing her plate out. “That’s not what I meant. My Watcher, D had a book that had something like him in there.” Faith stood. “Any way of getting rid of this thing?”

Willow and Tara nodded. “W-we can do it.” The blonde said. “What are you g-gonna do?”

“I’m gonna talk to Tweed. See about figuring out what our friend here is.” Faith said. “Little D, you’re with me. You two see about getting him taken care of and call Xander. See if you can get him over here to fix that door. I saw one downstairs in the basement. See what he can do with it.”

Faith left, taking Dawn with her. Willow and Tara looked at each other and down at the demon. Again they took each other’s hand and began casting.

“Thanks for bringing me along,” Dawn said happily as they climbed into the Jeep.

“No sweat. Figured you’d be good at looking this kind of shit up.” Faith said, backing out of the driveway. “You okay?”

The teen nodded. “I just hope Tara and Willow put the food back in the fridge. I’m gonna want another burger when I get home.”

Faith chuckled. “I mean about what you saw back there, squirt. Me killin’ that demon. That didn’t freak you out, did it?”

“Not really. I mean, it was a little gruesome, I’m not gonna lie…but you’re talking to a girl that actually likes the Hostel and Saw movies. Compared to that, what you guys do isn’t even remotely disturbing.”

Faith nodded. “Good. Because if I’m gonna teach you to fight, we’re going all in. I’m gonna outfit you in body armor, make sure you’re up on all your standard weapons and hand to hand combat. I also want you to start working with the Cast-a-lot twins to give you some mojo. I’m also gonna talk to Tweed about you being his backup on research and what have you.”

Dawn just stared at her. “You mean…?”

“Xander’s been doing it for almost five years and I’ve seen him lay it down pretty good. No reason you can’t be just as nasty. That and maybe we could see about getting you set up as a full time Watcher sometime in the future.”

Dawn was dumbfounded. “That would be kind of cool, actually.”

“Good. You’re taking your first steps today. We find out what that thing was and we find out exactly why it came after us.”

The girl nodded. She was ecstatic. Buffy tried as hard as she could to keep the teen away from the supernatural. Faith was doing the exact opposite. She was expecting the younger Summers girl to jump into the fight full stop.

“Call Tweed, find out where he is.” Faith said.

Dawn pulled her cellphone out and dialed Giles’ apartment first. When she got no answer, she tried the Magic Box.

“Hello?” Giles answered his voice a tad weary.

“Hey, it’s Dawn. Faith and I are on our way there.” She lowered the phone. “Magic Box.” She said to Faith before bringing the phone back up to her ear.

“What happened?” Giles asked, pulling his glasses off.

“Some demon decided to crash our dinner party. We’re gonna try and figure out what he was and why he was after Faith.”

“Well, that second one is rather easy. She’s the slayer.” Giles said. “But finding out what he was might be a good idea.”

“That’s what Faith thought. It was the same demon that was attacking the bank earlier today. Faith kicked his butt and sent him packing. Maybe he just wanted to even the score.”

“That doesn’t explain how he ascertained her location,” Giles said. “Interesting.”

“We’ll be there in a few minutes.” Dawn said. “See you then.” She ended the call. “He’s kind of puzzled as to why the demon knew you were at our place.”

Faith furrowed her brow. She hadn’t thought of that. “I’m making a detour.” She slid the Jeep into a sideways turn and gunned it, heading toward her apartment. “I just got the place fixed up, I am gonna be so pissed if he trashed my pad.”

“Give you a good reason to move in with us.” Dawn said, cheesing.

“Silver lining, huh?” Faith said, skidding to a stop in front of her building. “Be right back.”

“I’m not staying in the car with demons hunting after you.” She pulled the seatbelt off and ran after Faith. All of the running she’s had to do in the past year, she found that she was actually in pretty good shape. They cleared the stairs and made it to Faith’s door.

The slayer sighed heavily. The door was partially open. She pushed it the rest of the way and stepped into her completely destroyed apartment. “Motherfucker.” She said, sadly. The furniture was smashed to splinters. There we holes in the walls and most of her possessions were strewn about the floor.

Dawn put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry.” She said, her voice soft. “Maybe Xander can help get this taken care of.”

“Even if he could, I can’t afford to buy the materials to do it.” Faith said, moving through the small condo. She turned to Dawn. “And no, I’m not letting you pay for this.”

“I would…”

“I know you would. You’d bankrupt yourself to do it, too.” Faith shook her head. “But I ain’t lettin’ ya.”

“Well, at least your entertainment center is unscathed.” Dawn said, shrugging. “Is that a fifty inch plasma screen?”

Faith didn’t even bother looking. She just began picking up her clothes and things. “Fifty five inch Panasonic. Watcher’s council bought me that when they refurnished the place.”

Dawn was looking over the accouterments. “They buy all this for you?”

“Yeah. They wanted to make sure I was comfortable.”

“PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii…Jesus, they spoiled the shit out of you.” Dawn said, taking it all in. “Didn’t do you much for games though.”

“I can pick those up later. This town actually has a pretty good used game shop.” Faith managed to get all her clothes in her duffel. “I’ll come back with Xan and get everything else later.”

“We should take the electronics.” Dawn said, grinning. “On account of, you know, someone stealing it or…something.”

Faith couldn’t help but chuckle. “And there’s plenty of room in the Jeep, right?”

“Yeah.” Dawn took the bag from the girl’s hand. “I’ll go and lay the seats down and get it all opened. I’ll also call Giles and let him know we’re gonna be a little late.”

“No, I got this.” Faith said. “Why don’t I just drive you to the Magic Box so you and G man can get started on finding that demon. I’ll get all my shit moved over to your place and catch up with you guys later.”

“You shouldn’t have to do this alone.” Dawn said.

“Nah, it’s all good. Strangely, this doesn’t really bother me all that bad. I actually feel better stayin’ at your place anyway. It’s just…more like home, you know?”

“Hey, maybe you might be able to sell this place.” Dawn offered. “It’s still gotta be worth something.”

“Few grand, maybe.” Faith said, looking around. “And it’s a bad reminder. I mean the Mayor gave me this. As much as he seemed to care about me, he was using me just like everyone else did. This was just his way of telling me how effective a tool I was.” She sighed. “No, I’ll be glad to be out of this place, now that I think about it.”

Dawn moved over and hugged her. “I can walk to the Magic Box. It’s actually not that far. Like eight blocks or so. I’ll hurry to make sure I’m there before dark.”

Faith nodded. “Alright. Be careful.” The teen nodded and trotted out of the apartment. She pulled her phone out and dialed the house.

“Hello?” Willow answered.

“Hey, Red. It looks like I’m gonna be takin’ you and T-bear up on your offer.” She sat on the broken down sofa.

“Oh?” Willow said, looking at her girlfriend. “Why the change of heart?”

“Well…let’s just say that your place wasn’t our demon friend’s first stop.”

“Oh, no. Your condo?”

“Yeah. He trashed the place. I think he actually did more damage than me and B did. He was pretty thorough, to be honest. Left my electronics alone, though. So there’s a plus side.”

“Did you need some help?” Willow asked her. “Me and Tara can catch a cab over there to help.”

Faith bit her lip and thought about it. She could handle it on her own, she really could. But she also knew that by accepting the help the girls were offering would make them both feel a lot better. “I could swing by in the Jeep with a quick load and pick you guys up.” Faith counter-offered. “No reason to make you spend money.”

Willow smiled. “That’ll work. We’ll be ready.”

“Be there in a few.” Faith said, ending the call. She took her large duffel and set it by the door. She then went through her fridge and cupboards, pulling out all the food she’d recently bought, putting it into boxes. She carried it all down to the rig and packed it into the back. She slid in and pulled away from the curb, heading for her new home.

She couldn’t help but smile.

It was just a little past ten at night when the trio of girls got all of Faith’s belongings to the Summers house. Faith decided to leave her massive plasma screen in the living room and take the 36 inch TV up to the room she would be using.

“We can just leave the surround sound down here.” Faith said, wiping her brow. “I don’t think I’ll need that much sound in a room that small.”

“If you w-wanted to get to the Magic Box, w-we can put everything away.” Tara said, softly.

“And I can get this all wired up.” Willow offered, motioning to the electronics.

“You can hook the consoles up down here, too if you like.” Faith said to the girls.

“Okay.” Willow said. She pulled Faith in for a quick kiss on the lips. “Be safe.”

Before the brunette slayer could say anything, Tara likewise kissed her. “And be careful.” With that, the blonde moved into the kitchen to put the groceries away. Willow dropped down to the floor and began connecting everything. Faith reached up and touched her lips lightly.

She left the house with a smile on her face and a bit of a spring in her step. When she arrived at the Magic Box, she was still feeling pretty chipper. She didn’t know exactly how living with the three girls would play out, but she found that she kind of craved the company. She’d been alone for so long that having people around her that liked her for her and actually cared was just…it was a great feeling.

Something she could definitely get used to. She pulled the front door open and was serenaded with  _Don’t Fear the Reaper_  by Blue Oyster Cult. “Ooh, good jam.” She said, immediately bobbing her head to the music. She looked over to Giles as she was dancing along. “Never let it be said that you didn’t have good taste in music, G.”

He smiled and pulled his glasses off. “Um, yes well…thank you.”

Dawn sat at the table, reading an open book. She looked up at Faith. “It’s my mix CD.”

“Really? You dig on this old school rock?” The slayer asked.

“I like all kinds of music. Despite what most people might think, I actually can’t stand any of the new bubblegum BS.” She thumbed toward the shelf system. “This is the good stuff.”

“Nice. So any luck identifying our culprit?” Faith asked, sitting on the edge of the table.

“I managed to narrow it down to two.” Dawn said. “There’s this guy, but the face didn’t seem quite right.”

Faith looked at it. “Nope. That’s a Qualtiri. They’re underworld loan sharks. They only work for pure gold. And given how rare one hundred percent pure gold actually is? Fat chance that’s our boy.”

Giles looked at her. “I’m impressed.”

“I’ve roughed through some of Diana’s books. She had this one.” Faith said. “Who’s our second contestant?”

Dawn flipped a few pages. “This guy.” She turned the book around. “That him?”

“Yeah. The…” Faith shook her head. “No idea what the name is.”

“The M’Fashnik.” Giles offered, nodding.

“Like Mmm, cookies.” Dawn said, happy to have been of help.

Giles looked at her. “Uh, no, quite different, actually.”

Faith chuckled, reading the entry. “Friend of yours?” She looked to Dawn, winking at her.

“No. But they do have a fearsome reputation. They, they come from a long line of mercenary demons that perform acts of slaughter and mayhem for the highest bidder.” Giles pulled his glasses off and massaged the bridge of his nose.

Faith grinned. “Well, it is the American way. Finally a demon that  _will_  fuck you over for a percentage.”

Giles shook his head, sighing. “Yes, but, uh, the question now becomes, what’s out there powerful enough to control one of these things?”

“Couldn’t tell you.” Faith said. “But I know that whoever it is, suddenly has a serious hard on for me. Just have to keep my ears and eyes open.”

“I heard about your apartment. I’m sorry.”

Faith shrugged. “You know…fresh start should mean a new place to start from, you know? Not going back somewhere that’s full of nothing but bad memories.”

Giles smiled at her. “Quite. And I think both Buffy and Joyce would be thrilled with you being there for Dawn.” He hugged her. “I’m very, very proud of you.”

Faith returned the embrace. She felt good. Better than she had in a long time. “Come on, D. Let’s go home.”

Giles watched the pair go and couldn’t help but notice the marked change in the girl. And it was definitely a change for the better.

 


	12. Chapter 12

 

Faith stood and squared off with the heavy bag. “It’s about balance. You want it. You want them not to have it.” She took a step and planted her foot directly into the bag, extending her leg fully, causing it to swing violently. She caught it as it came back toward her. She turned and looked at Dawn. “Alright. Your turn.”

The slender brunette teen padded over on bare tape-wrapped feet and stood as Faith had shown her. Her left foot was forward and her right foot was back. “Like this?”

Faith nodded. She centered the girl’s hips. “Good stance. Now you wanna bring your foot forward into the kick. Make sure it hits dead center.” She watched as the girl slowly brought her leg up, mimicking what the slayer did. “Now lean your upper body back.” She placed her hand on Dawn’s shoulders. “There. Now push with your leg. This is a good way to get as much distance between you and your opponent as possible. Give you a break and get them off balance.” Dawn did as she was told, causing the bag to swing away from her a bit.

“It didn’t go anywhere near as far as yours.” The teen said, sadly.

“Well, no. But I’m a slayer. I should be stronger. But that wasn’t bad for a first outing.” Faith backed off. “Go ahead and give me ten of those.”

Dawn stood and exhaled. She counted them off as she did them. Each time, her foot hit the bag just right. She had quite a bit of leg strength and it showed with how far the bag swung. When she hit ten, she was breathing a little heavy. “That was okay, right?”

“That was perfect. We gotta work on your speed, though. But you got a good baseline.” Faith moved over and gripped the bag, holding it. “Give me a left-right combo and a round kick.” She held her fists up, boxing style and delivered a punishing left and right jab and hit with a hard kick. “This is just a quick and dirty way to do some damage. Easy to learn and damn effective.”

Dawn moved up and punched…like a typical teenage girl.

“Okay, okay. That’s not gonna cut it, squirt.” Faith said. She took Dawn’s hand. “First things first. Making a fist. Get your thumb out from underneath your fingers. It should be tucked in like so.” She lifted her own hand. “Like this.” When Dawn got it, she nodded. “Alright. When striking with a jab, you don’t wanna bring your arm back. That’s called telegraphing. A good opponent can capitalize on that and take you apart.” She got into her stance again. “Watch me.” She slowly brought her left hand forward. “All punches should start at the center. You put your weight into it. Let momentum help the punch. Follow me.” She threw her hip into the strike, rolling the force up her body to her left hand.

Dawn for her part, paid rapt attention. She wanted to be able to fend for herself. She was tired of being the youngest and weakest of the group. She figured if anyone could get her up to snuff, it would be Faith. She took the girl’s lessons to heart. For the past week, Faith had been having her jog everywhere. Running was the best way to get in shape. She also strength trained in the morning. Just a quick thirty-minute regimen that worked her muscle groups. She was constantly sore and almost perpetually fatigued, but she also understood the necessity of it.

Faith watched the girl pound on the bag. She smiled widely. She could see a lot of Buffy in the girl’s movements. Dawn had the same natural grace that her sister had. And she was a very fast learner. “Well, you got a nice jab. Add a kick. Mix things up.”

Dawn stepped back and connected with a textbook front round kick. The impact smacked hard into the bag. “How was that?”

“Not bad, kid. Not bad at all.” Faith held the bag. “Now the other foot.” When she saw the kick, she knew immediately that Dawn, like her sister, was a north paw. “You’re right handed. We gotta work on that.”

“Why does that matter?” Dawn asked.

“Because if I’m gonna train you to fight.” Faith said, firing off two round kicks with equally deadly force. “I’m gonna go all the way. I want you to be able to punish with both arms and both legs. Right now, like your big sister, you’ve got all the power in your right side.” Faith walked over and pulled a weight belt off the wall and moved back to her. “Tuck your right arm in, like this.” She demonstrated by pulling her arm against her chest. When Dawn did so, Faith looped the belt around her and cinched it snug, but not tight. “Can you breathe okay?”

“Yeah. Feels a little weird, though.” The girl said.

“Now you’re gonna give me twenty left jabs and twenty left round kicks. Count ‘em off.” Faith held the bag as Dawn went through the exercise. The strikes were sloppy, but both girls knew that with practice, the natural flow would come. “Alright. We’ll do this every day to help you get the hang of it. But I think that’s enough for today. Go ahead and do your circuit.” Faith said, pointing to the weights. “Then we’ll go and grab some Pizza before heading home.”

“Ooh, okay,” Dawn said, moving to the radio. She put in her workout CD and began doing her sets.

Faith grabbed a small towel and left the workout room in the back of the Magic Box and went out onto the floor, wiping her head. She saw Anya standing behind the counter doing inventory as she always seemed to be. Giles sat at the table reading a book. Faith moved over and sat on the table next to him.

Giles looked up at her. “So how is she doing?”

The slayer looked in through the door, watching the young girl bench press. The girl was barely getting up a hundred pounds. She could see her struggling, but Dawn did it without complaint. “She’s got some good groundwork. She’s picked up a little bit here and there but hasn’t been taught what to do with it. It’ll come.” The girl dropped the weight and sat up, looking at her watch. Faith allowed her thirty seconds to rest between stations.

“This is a kind thing, what you’re doing,” Giles said. He rose to his feet and moved to the door to watch the girl. She was currently squatting.

Faith saw that she was able to get a hundred and seventy-five pounds. “She’s got the genetics for it.”

“So any luck on getting your car repaired?” He asked her. “I know it has some rather significant damage.”

“I got the parts on order.” Faith said, tossing the towel into the hamper. She sat down and began peeling the tape off her feet and hands. “Pretty much just body damage. I’ve got new panels and stuff coming. Gonna be a few more days, though.” She waited the remaining few minutes as Dawn finished her set. “Nice work, kiddo.” She said tossing the girl a towel.

Dawn wiped her face and head and removed the tape from her hands and feet. She was smiling. “I’m just looking forward to lots and lots of Pizza. Can we get some of their cheesy garlic sticks?”

Faith chuckled. “I don’t see why not.”

As the pair finished getting ready to go, Buffybot rose from behind the counter. “We should get Tara and Willow salads.” She said, her voice chipper. “They like salads. And they’re healthy. Pizza isn’t very healthy.”

Faith nodded. “True.” She said. “Let’s motor. Later, G.”

“See you later, Giles.” Dawn offered.

Buffy simply smiled and waved, following the pair out of the Magic Box. As soon as Faith cleared the door, she was slammed into by a passing pedestrian. “Hey, watch it, asshole.” She snapped.

Dawn gave him a glare and moved to Faith. “Are you okay?”

“Hi, Warren,”Buffybot said, happily. “He’s my creator.” She said.

Dawn turned to look at him. Warren stopped and turned back to the trio. “Oh, shit.” He suddenly lifted his collar. “Hit it.” He said, before turning and running.

“What was that all about?” She turned to see Faith standing motionless. “Faith?” She asked, waving her hand in front of the slayer’s eyes. She reached up and tapped the girl on the arm. Faith began, ever so slowly, to stagger sideways. “What the hell?” She looked at Buffybot. “What’s happening to her?”

The robot, looking incredibly confused, pointed to Faith’s jacket. “What’s that?” She asked.

Dawn looked to where the girl was pointing. She saw a small silver disk stuck to the bottom hem of the denim. “I don’t know.” She took hold of the girl’s coat and pulled it off. As soon as she had it in her hand, she lifted it for the Buffybot to look at. “What is it?”

“I don’t know.” The robot said, looking at Dawn. “What?”

The teen shook her head and dropped it to the ground, stomping on it. As soon as her foot came down, Faith staggered quickly, catching herself. She was rubbing her arm where Dawn touched her. “Christ, that was freaky.” She said, looking around. “What the fuck was that?”

“That douchebag Warren put something on your jacket. It made you frozen or something.” Dawn offered.

“Warren is my creator.”Buffybot offered, chipper.

“Yeah.” Faith said. “Caught that.” She looked back to Dawn. “It was like everything around me was moving at like, Flash speed. You touching me felt like I got hit by a baseball bat.” She flexed her arm and shook it. “What would Warren wanna screw with me for? I don’t even know the guy.”

“Warren is my…”Buffybot began.

“Say it again, and I’ll shut you down and throw you into a recycling bin.” Faith said. The robot closed her mouth but frowned at the slayer. “We know. He built you. But Willow has been maintaining you. And now Warren, for some strange reason, wants to keep screwing with me. That makes him a bad man.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”Buffybot said. “I don’t like him anymore.”

“Good. Now we’re on the same page.” Faith said. “So I…”

“What book are we reading?”Buffybot asked.

Dawn simply groaned and grabbed the robot’s arm. “Come on. Let’s just get home. We’ll get delivery.”

Warren Mears climbed into the side of the black van and dropped into the seat. Both Jonathan Levinson and Andrew Wells sat watching the monitors in the tricked out vehicle, trying very hard not to laugh. “How was I supposed to know that she’d have the robot  _I built_  right next to her?” He asked, frustrated.

“You should have done more reconnaissance,” Andrew said. “So…your score.” He leaned back in his chair and looking at Jonathan.

The smaller boy sighed. “Right. Fifty points for ingenuity, another thirty points because it involved actual contact.”

Andrew shook his head. “Can’t give him that. He was spotted.”

Warren raised his finger. “But not by Faith. I was recognized by one of my own creations. She was an element that we thought no longer in play. You can’t penalize me for that.”

“Oh, we can. But you’re right. So…” Jonathan looked to Andrew. “We’ll give you half. Fifteen points for the body contact.”

Warren shrugged. “Alright, fair enough.”

“On the freak-o-meter, I would say she was at a five.” Jonathan continued.

“No way. That was an eight, easy. Did you see her face when Dawn touched her and she nearly hit the dirt?” Warren said.

The pair leaned in and discussed it. “We’ll give it a six. Which is good for a hundred and twenty, giving you a grand total of…” Jonathan pointed to Andrew.

“One hundred and eighty-five.”

“Not too shabby,” Warren said. “Beat that.”

“But, it’s minus a hundred points for longevity. You were found out pretty much immediately.” Jonathan said.

“What?!” Warren snapped. “Oh, come on!”

“Dude.” Andrew began. “You’re like, the opening teaser to a Batman: Brave and the Bold episode.”

“And you’d be Crazy Quilt,” Jonathan added.

Warren glared at him. “Oh, that’s low.”

“And you’re sure it was Warren?” Willow asked as everyone sat about the table, eating Pizza and drinking soda.

Dawn nodded. “It was him. Buffybot recognized him. He turned around and said ‘hit it’. After that, Faith was all like moving in super slo-mo.”

Faith nodded her agreement. “It was pretty freaky. D here touched me to get my attention and damn near broke my arm. Never had anything like that happen to me.”

“W-we need to find him. If he’s doing this to you, then he might try something else.” Tara said, her voice carrying concern.

“I’m thinking I might wanna put up at a motel or something until we find him.” Faith suggested.

“No.” All of the girls said in unison.

“Guys, listen. He seems to just have a hard on for me. If I’m not around you guys, then I won’t be putting you in danger.” She shook her head. “I don’t like risking any of you.”

“We’re your friends, Faith,” Willow said. “We’re here to look out for you, too. It’s not a one-way street.” She put her hand on the girl’s arm and gave her a warm smile. “You’re not going anywhere. We’ll deal with it.” The rest of the girls nodded.

Faith couldn’t help but smile. “I guess that answers that.”

“A-and we have pie,” Tara said. “I made pie.”

“What kind of pie?” Dawn asked, happily.

“With you, D it really doesn’t matter.” Faith said. “You’re probably the only person I know that eats as much as I do.”

“Hey. I don’t like Rhubarb or Minced Meat pie.” Dawn said.

“Do you know anyone that does?” Faith asked. She looked at the other two. They scrunched their noses and shook their heads. “Didn’t think so.”

“It’s Dutch Apple,” Tara said. “And I made two.”

Dawn squeed excitedly. “And we have ice cream.”

Faith stood beside her car, removing the ruined fender when her cell phone rang. She reached into her pocket and put it on speaker, before tossing it on the roof. “Go ahead.” She said, going back to work.

“Hey, Faith. It’s Anya. Are you busy?” She asked.

“A little. I’m pulling…”

“That’s great.” The woman interrupted. “I need you to do me a favor. I need you to do it since you’re not doing anything important. I need you to come by the Magic Box and pick up Xander’s lunch and take it to him at his work site. He forgot it this morning and we’re going to be very busy at the shop. Thank you.” She said, hanging up the phone.

Faith stood there and stared at the phone. “Bitch.” She said, somewhat irritated. She looked at her watch. It was just after eleven in the morning. “Dammit.” All three of the other girls were at school. She sighed and put the ratchet down and took her phone, sliding it back into her pocket. She moved into the house and washed her hands, before changing her grungy shirt.

She climbed into the Jeep and headed to the Magic Box. She and Anya were going to have a very serious talk about manners. She could see the place was kind of busy. She pushed open the door and walked up to the counter. Anya was working with a customer. She smiled at Faith and reached beneath the desk, handing her the army green lunch box.

Faith was floored. She lifted it and looked at it. It was the high quality metal from back in the day. “You got a minute?” She asked the woman.

“No. I have customers.” Anya said. After a moment of Faith glaring at her. Anya frowned. “Go away.” She said, shooing the girl.

“Where’s his site at?” She asked, defeated. She had to accept that Anya was just being Anya.

“Downtown. The new city hall.” Anya said, dismissively.

Faith shook her head and made her way out to the Jeep. “Some days, I hate her.” She fired the rig up and headed down to the construction site. In hindsight, she really didn’t need directions. It was a rather large open sprawl of heavy equipment, hard hats, and rebar. She picked up the lunch box and stepped out of the SUV. She made her way through the site.

“Hey!” One of the guys shouted. She turned to look at him. He tossed her a hard hat.

She caught it and put it on. “Thanks.” She said, smiling. She walked over to him. “Tryin’ to find Xander Harris. Six foot, two ten. Brown hair. And I just realized I described most of the guys on the site.”

“You his girlfriend?” The man asked.

“Nope. Fucked him once, though. A little pissed that he’s exclusive, now. Wouldn’t mind ridin’ that again. Know where I can find him?”

“Talk to Tony. He’s the foreman. He’s the big guy over there with the safety vest on. Be careful, he’s a little bit of a…make that he’s a lot of a dick.”

“I won’t tell him who told me.” Faith said, clapping him on the arm. “Thanks.” She knocked on her hat and walked toward the honcho. “Excuse me…” Faith said, tapping the man on the shoulder. “I’m looking for…”

“What the hell is this?” He said, looking her up and down. “You’re who the temp agency sent me?”

“No, I’m…” Faith tried to stop him.

“Look. We’re a week behind, I got two men out on the DL, and now they want us to babysit some little girl?” He shook his head. “I can’t believe this.” He turned his back to her. “Okay, Danny, finish puttin’ in those J-boxes. Vince, Marco, I need you to haul the steel inside.”

Faith was getting ready to grab Tony again when the burly Hispanic man named Marco piped up. “Gee, I don’t know, Tone. I don’t wanna get in trouble with those affirmative action lawyers, you know what I’m sayin’? Why don’t you put, uh, little Britney here on hauling duty?”

Faith glared at him. “Do I look like a fuckin’ Britney to you?” She snapped. “I’m not here to…”

“Okay princess, you’re on it,” Tony said, looking at her. “Try not to break a nail.”

“I’m not from the temp agency,  _asshole_.” Faith growled at him. She dropped the lunch box and moved over, lifting the three hundred pound I-beam like it was a box of Kleenex. “And you keep pissing me off I’ll stuff this whole goddamn thing up your ass.” She moved and tossed it aside. “Now, I’m looking for Xander Harris.”

Tony watched her in disbelief. “That was…that was incredible.”

“Glad you’re impressed.” Faith said, snidely.

“Look, I’m sorry. I just…you see this is a big project and I need all the help I can get. If you wanna stick around and help us out, I’ll make sure you get paid. Three hundred bucks if you can get all that steel inside by two.”

Faith saw the three pallets of I-beams and shrugged. “Sure.” She said. “But I gotta find Xander first. He forgot his lunch.” She held the box up.

“Alright. He’s upstairs with the sheetrock guys. You come back down and see me and we’ll get you started.”

She nodded and made it up to the second floor. Xander stood with a set of blueprints in his hand motioning around to the different sections of the wall. “Keep that section open so we can move between the rooms. We’ll hit it last and seal the wall up.”

“Hey, boss man.” Faith said, smacking his butt as she walked up beside him.

“Jeez.” He said, startled. “Faith? What are you doing here?”

“Anya called me. Told me ya forgot your nosh.” She offered him the lunch box. “Your boss Tony is a bit of an ass hat. But he offered me three bills to haul a couple pallets of steel for him.”

“Bet that’s gonna piss the guys off,”Xander said. “Thanks for bringing this for me. Would have been a long day without it.”

“No problem, big fella.” Faith offered. She bit her lip and thought a moment. “You and Anya rent your apartment, right?”

He nodded, getting back to work. “Yeah.”

“That M’Fashnik really messed my place up. I was thinking of trying to pay for the damages, but…” She shook her head. “It’s completely paid for. The utilities are actually pretty cheap. It’s yours if you want it. Just gotta fix the damage.”

He turned to regard her. “You’re…giving me your condo?”

“Why not? I live with Red, T-bear, and little D. It’s actually not a bad arrangement. I’m home alone most of the time and I got plenty of privacy. I ain’t using the place. Figured you could use it. Might save you some scratch on rent.”

He smiled. “That sounds awesome.” He hugged her. “Thanks. Anya will be thrilled.”

“Of course, she will. It’s saving money. Seems to be all she thinks about.”

“I’d like to argue with that. I really, really would.”Xander said, happily. “Tony is waiting and he is not a patient man.”

“I gathered that.” Faith offered. “Later, bro.” She said, walking over to the edge of the unfinished floor and jumping, landing beside the foreman. “Here I am.”

He started and turned to regard her. He looked up at the twenty-foot drop. “Did you just jump?” He asked, furrowing his brow.

“Yeah.” She said. “So, do I sign anything?”

He looked at her. “No. Just move all of that…” He pointed to the three stacks. “Inside and stack it up where the boys need it.” He pulled out the blueprints and indicated where she should make her piles. “Nothin’ to it.”

“You got it, hoss.” She said patting his shoulder before picking up the beam she dropped beside him. She carried it inside without much effort. All of the guys watched her shaking their heads. They’d never seen the like.

“God, what I wouldn’t give to hire her,” Tony said.

“Talk to her, man. See if she needs a job.” Marco said. “Hard work doesn’t seem to bother her.”

Faith decided to pick up the pace and lifted two beams, one on each shoulder. She worked tirelessly. In less than a half hour, she had all of the beams moved. She walked over to Tony. “There you go. Anything else you need done? I got all day.”

He looked around and motioned her to follow. “Come here.” He said, leading her off toward a secluded area.

“If you’re planning to get fresh, I wouldn’t recommend it.” She said, warning in her voice.

“What are you, crazy?” He said, looking back at her. “And risk having you rip my head off and stuff it up my ass? No thanks.” He made sure he was out of earshot of the other guys. “Look. I told you we were behind. I’m willing to put you on at team lead pay if you help us get back on track. You just saved me about seven to eight hours of work. That’s little over twenty bucks an hour.” He offered her his hand. “What do you say? I know you might not be union, but I could hire you as an independent contractor.”

She thought about it. “I’m only available for about five, maybe six hours a day.” She said to him. “And I…kinda have another job. I might have to bail on short notice.”

“What do you do?” He asked her.

“Private security detail for some British guy.” She lied. “He’s usually a homebody during the day, but sometimes he needs me around. It’s kind of an on-call gig. Don’t happen often. That work out for you?”

Tony nodded. “With the work, you’ll be saving me, yeah. I can live with that. How early can you be here?”

“Here by nine, but gotta be off by two, hoss.” She offered her hand to him.

He immediately took it. “Deal.” He pulled his wallet out and took three hundred dollar bills out. “Here you go.”

Faith spun, grabbed a piece of rebar and turned back around. “Duck.” She said, gripping the front of his shirt and pulling him down. He fell to his knees, confused. She swung, cracking the hideous demon across the face with the sturdy metal. She whirled, ramming the rebar through the chest of a second creature, then tore the iron free and struck a third in the throat with a sidelong swing. The monster’s neck crunched as it fell to the ground, gurgling it’s last. She stepped past Tony and stabbed the first demon in the head.

The foreman stood, looking at the beasts. Seconds later they seemed to just…melt. “What the hell were those?”

Faith shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you.” She said. “So what else do you need me to do?”

He just stared at her. “Um…” He scratched his head. “Let’s go to the admin trailer so I can get your paperwork done.” As they walked along, he looked down at her. “That was amazing. How did you learn to do that?”

“How long you lived in Sunnydale?” She asked him.

“Not long. A couple of months.”

“You ever seen anything like that before?”

He shook his head. “No. Never.”

“Strange shit like this actually happens a lot in Sunnydale. I’m the reason you never hear about it.”

“Guys around here…they talk, you know? They say things like vampires and werewolves. I thought they were just kidding. Making shit up. But…they weren’t, were they?”

“No.” Faith said. “I’m what you might call a…supernatural hit woman. It’s my job to take things like that…” The motioned back to where they came from. “Out before they do any real damage. Been doing this a while.”

“So, you don’t work private security, do you?”

“More like public security.” Faith said. “But I’m still interested in the job offer.”

He nodded. “Frankly, if things like that happen around here, I’d be glad to have you on board.”

She smiled and followed him up the stairs to the trailer. She stopped when she noticed a black Dodge Conversion van sitting across the street. The van shimmied a bit as she stared at it. She could have sworn she saw someone with binoculars staring at her. Suddenly out of the blue, the theme to Star Wars belted out of the rig via the horn. “No fuckin’ way.” Before she could go the check it out, the van rumbled to life and raced off.

“What was that?” Tony asked, peeking out of the door.

“Nothing.” Faith said, stepping inside. “Nothing at all.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

Faith hoisted the huge roll of tar paper and carried it around the building to a small fenced in yard. The men of the crew were still in awe of what the petite brunette was capable of. She’d removed her jacket and was wearing a black tank top. She chuckled as she heard the whistles and cat-calls. It didn’t bother her at all. She was a good looking girl at a construction site. It was par for the course.

When she took her break, she even made a production of drinking a bottle of water, then pouring it over her head and chest, causing her tank top to cling to her lithe form. The boys went nuts. She knew it was all in good fun.

Tony was nice enough to give her a pair of heavy leather work gloves. She dropped the massive roll beside the others and looked at her watch. It was just before two.

She pulled her gloves off and made her way back to the foreman. “I’m outta here, big fella.” She said, handing him the gloves.

He shook his head. “Nah. Keep ‘em. Be back tomorrow at nine.” He offered his hand. “Thanks for helping us out.”

“No problem. Appreciate the job.” Faith said, smiling.

“And thanks for dealing with those…whatever they were.” He said, quietly.

“It’s what I do, hoss.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Catch you later.” She said, moving off toward the Jeep.

She climbed in and fired the rig up, heading toward the school. She arrived a little early and sat, waiting for the teen. She pulled her phone out and dialed the Magic Box.  
“Hello?” Anya asked, her voice extremely chipper and professional.

“Hey, Ahn. It tweed around?” Faith asked.

“Just a second.” The woman returned, sounding somewhat dejected.

“Yes, Faith?” Giles asked.

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna be heading your way after I pick up half-pint. We gotta talk about some things.”

“Did something happen today?”

“Yeah. Three demons attacked the construction site. I took ‘em out, but they could have done some serious damage.”

“Is everyone alright?”

“Yeah. Nothing I couldn’t handle. The foreman, Tony got a nice in your face exposition on why life in Sunnydale is so exciting, but other than that, it wasn’t bad. I think they were sent there for me. I think it has something to do with what happened to me yesterday. My stalker is playing with me again.”

“It could be completely unrelated.” He said, pulling his glasses off and massaging the bridge of his nose.

“And if it’s not?” Faith asked.

“Then it’s possible you’re in real danger.”

“First order of business is to find out what those demons were. Tall, six to six and a half feet. Pushing two and a half bills. Melt when they die. I’ll grab little D and head over. Help you look around.”

“I’ll get started.”

“Thanks. I gotta go.” Faith said, ending the call. She put her phone in her pocket as Dawn came over and climbed into the car. “Hey, D.”

“Hey, Faith.” The girl said, happily.

“We gotta get you a shake to go, kid. I gotta get to the Magic Box pronto.”

“We don’t have to stop,” Dawn said, buckling up. “I can skip one day.”

Faith nodded and drove directly to the magic shop. She made her way inside to see Anya working with numbers and Giles stacking several books on the table. “Damn, tweed.” Faith said, shaking her head. “This all research, or you testing build quality for the table?”

“I just want to be thorough,” Giles said, sipping his tea. “As I said, this time anomaly and the demon attacks could be completely unrelated events, but if they’re not…you could be in some danger.”

“So same shit, different day.” Faith said, sadly. She dropped to a chair. “D. Go ahead and get your homework done, then we’ll work out a bit.”

The girl nodded and sat down, clearing a spot. “I hate math.” She groaned, pulling out her book.

“Faith, I’ve been meaning to ask you a favor,” Giles said, sheepishly.

“What’s that?” The slayer asked, not looking up from the book she was reading.

“You see…Halloween is a busy time for the store and, and, and we could really use the extra help. I was wondering if you’d…”

“Sure.” Faith said, nodding. “Big bads usually stay in anyway. No reason why not.” She looked at him. “What do you want me doing?”

“Anything and everything,” Giles said. “Do you, do you have any customer service experience? Retail experience?”

“Shoplifted a lot as a kid. Does that count?”

“Not as such.” He said, smiling. “But it might help to spot others that do so.”

She put the book down and stood. “Why don’t you hit this and I’ll work with Anya for a couple hours.”

“Very good.” He said, pulling his glasses off and cleaning them.

Faith moved over to Anya, who lifted a black binder and opened it. “Um, you record returns here. Um, these are the slips for special orders. You ship them wherever the customer wants. And, uh, these are the hold slips.”

“Fill out two hold slips for each item,” Giles said as he rose to get more tea.

Faith furrowed her brow. “Instead of filling out two slips, why not just photocopy them? Saves time and resources.”

“We don’t have a photocopier,” Anya said.

“Dude. You can pick up one up for like, two hundred bucks. Talk to Red. She knows the tech scene. She might be able to get you one for cheaper.” She sighed. “But until that happens, two slips her hold item.”

“Right. And be sure to remove the items from the shelf.” Anya closed the book. “I can illustrate with an amusing story about a crystal.”

“You could…” Faith said. “But don’t.” She patted Anya on the shoulder and took the book, checking over the forms. “Oh, and Xander said to give you a hug and a kiss for having me take him his lunch.” She looked at the woman. “But I’m not gonna.”

“Shame,” Anya said. “You’re cute.” She moved away from the counter to take care of a customer.

“Yeah. Been getting that all day.” Faith said, going back to her task.

“This is so dull I might actually have fallen asleep and be dreaming you guys,” Warren said, leaning on his hand watching the monitors. The screens showed a view of the interior of the Magic Box.

Andrew rolled up beside him in his chair. “Why is the Slayer here anyway? She’s a mechanic, she’s a construction worker, and…now she’s some kind of…selling stuff person?”

Warren shook his head. “It’s like she’s completely without focus.” He turned to Andrew. “Should we check the other channels for free cable porn?”

Andrew smiled and cocked his head, thinking it over.

“Guys, I’m ready,” Jonathan said from the back of the van. He sat on the floor with a piece of paper in one hand and a lighter in the other. The pair got up and sat with him, forming a triangle. “I need you to hold hands.”

Warren held his hand out to Andrew who recoiled immediately. “With each other?” The boy asked, nervously.

“Well, you know what homophobia really means about you, don’t you?” Warren asked, lifting up a piece of bone and pointing it at the boy.

“Stop touching my magic bone!” Jonathan snapped.

Warren put the bone down as he and Andrew burst out giggling.

“Shut up,” Jonathan said, annoyed. The pair stopped laughing but were grinning like mad. “Okay.” He flicked the lighter as he held the piece of paper over the floor in between them. Warren grabbed Andrew’s hand. Jonathan finally got the lighter lit and set the paper on fire. “Okay, it’s in Latin, so don’t laugh. It’s supposed to sound like this.” He put lighter aside and set the burning paper down in a bowl, picking up the bone. He waved the bone over the brazier while making gestures with his other hand. “ _Opus orbit est, et ea in medio, tempus ad calcemintendit._ ” Clouds of smoke rose from the bowl. He grinned at the other guys, quite pleased with himself.

The smoke quickly engulfed them and they all began to cough. They opened the door to ventilate the acrid air.

The bell above the door jingled. Anya stepped up beside Faith. “Go and help that customer. Get a feel for it.” She said, patting the slayer on the back.

“Right.” Faith said, closing the binder and heading toward the woman. As she crossed the store a male patron stopped her.

“Miss? Which candle creates a more, you know, romantic atmosphere?” He asked with a sheepish grin.

Faith lifted one of the candles and sniffed it. She looked at the sticker on the bottom. “Huh. Lemon seduction.” She looked at him. “Impressing a girl?”

He nodded. “We’re having a candle light dinner and I wanna make sure it’s just right.”

“What’s she like?” Faith asked. “Describe her.”

“Tall, leggy blonde. Shoulder length hair. Sapphire blue eyes.” He said, whimsically.

“What kind of music does she like?”

“She’s really into classic rock.” He said. “Her ring tone is  _Immigrant Song_  by Led Zeppelin.”

Faith shook her head. “You don’t want either of these.” She said. She knelt and looked at the candles on the bottom. She took a darker purple one and sniffed it. She looked at the bottom and nodded. “Here you go. Midnight lavender. Calmer scent. Not so much romantic as relaxing. That, a bottle of wine and Jefferson Airplane’s  _Surrealistic Pillow_  and you should be good to go. For dinner, you want something light. No steak or ribs or anything like that. You want her horny, not in a coma. I suggest seafood. No salmon or strong smelling fish. Maybe grilled prawns and a nice pilaf with broccoli. For dessert, I suggest sorbet.” She clapped him on the shoulder. “Should make your night a good one.”

He grinned widely. “Thanks.” He said, happily. “Appreciate it.”

“Knock her dead, slugger.” She patted his shoulder and moved over to the woman. “Can I help you?”

“I need something for a prosperity spell. I was told you have it. The mummy hand?”

Faith raised an eyebrow. “A mummy hand? Gotta admit, never been asked for one of those before. Yeah, we got one downstairs. Cop a squat, I’ll grab it for you.” She turned and headed downstairs to the basement.

Faith walked along between the shelves, looking at the contents of some of the jars. “Petrified hamster…what the hell would you use that for? Eyeballs and honey? Nasty. Ooh, Dagger of Lex…” She picked the blade up and spun it in her hand. “Nice.” She set it back on its stand and turned to see the mummy hand sitting atop a wooden crate. “Huh. Ancient mummy hand. Can’t find that at Wal-Mart.” She reached out to grab it, starting when it suddenly sprang to life. It leapt at her and gripped her throat. She staggered back, hitting the shelf. She calmly pulled the hand free and held it as it struggled to reach her. “Christ. Workman’s comp would never believe this.” She took the hand up the stairs and carried it over to Giles. “Hey, tweed? We got something to put this in? Woman over there wants to buy it.” She kept her grip tight.

He looked at her. “Oh, yes.” He said, cleaning his glasses. “Quite. Quite, quite.” He then turned away, ignoring her.

She snarled and moved over, kicking him sharply in the butt. “Tweed!” She snapped.

“Bloody hell.” He said, turning back around. “Faith! What are you…why do you have my mummy hand?”

“Lady over there wants it. It’s being kind of stubborn. Need a cage or a box or a pet carrier or something to put it in. Brown baggin’ it ain't gonna cut in.”

He made his way into a back room and came out with a gilded box. “The box is extra. Let her know that.” He said, opening it to place the hand inside.

Faith quickly slammed it shut. “Got it.” She said, carrying the box over to the woman. “Here you are. One live mummy hand. Unless you got something to carry him home in, the crate’s gonna be extra.”

The woman frowned. “I’m not paying for the box. I came for a mummy hand. That’s all I’m paying for.”

“Suit yourself.” Faith said. “Move over here and pay for the hand and it’s all yours. We’ll keep the box and you can take the hand.”

The woman nodded and followed Faith over to the counter. The slayer rang her up, took the money and pushed the box over. “He’s all yours.”

She opened it to remove the hand and was shocked when the severed limb leapt up and gripped her throat. The woman staggered and fell to the floor. Faith leaned over and rested her arms on the counter. “Sure you don’t want the box?” She asked with a smile.

She looked up as she heard the bell over the door ring. The woman stepped in and began looking around. Faith furrowed her brow and looked down at the floor. “Wait a minute.” She said, stepping around the counter.

Anya walked up to her. “Go and help that customer. Get a feel for it.” She said, patting Faith’s shoulder.

The slayer furrowed her brow and looked at the woman. “This isn’t right. We just did this.” She walked up to the woman. The male customer intercepted her again. Faith reached down handed him the purple candle. “This.  _Surrealistic Pillow_  by Jefferson Airplane and grilled prawns with pilaf. Serve sorbet for desert. You’ll get laid.” She patted his shoulder. “Knock yourself out.” She moved past him and up to the woman. “You came in for a mummy hand, right?”

The woman nodded. “For a prosperity spell.”

“Yeah, we got one in stock. Give me a couple minutes, okay?” Faith asked. The woman nodded and began browsing. Faith immediately moved over to Giles. “Okay, tweed, something strange is goin’ on.”

He looked at her. “Oh, yes.” He said, cleaning his glasses. “Quite. Quite, quite.” He then turned away, ignoring her.

“It’s happening again.” She moved over and smacked him in the back of the head. “Giles. Pay attention.”

The man staggered and rubbed his head. “Bloody hell.” He said, turning toward her. “What?”

“We got a problem. I think I’m getting fucked with again.”

“What makes you say that?” He asked, putting his glasses back on.

“Because the woman that came in is looking for a mummy hand. I’ve already gone down in the basement, found it and brought it up. Last time I did, the thing jumped out of the gilded box you gave me and strangled her. She refused the pay for the box, but still wanted the hand. As soon as she hit the dirt, she walked through the door again.”

Giles furrowed his brow. “You sure you’re not just…having a sense of Déjà vu?”

“No.” Faith said. She pointed to her neck. “Are there bruises?”

“Faint, but yes.”

“In the shape of a hand?” She asked.

He looked closer. “Yes.” He leaned back. “That’s rather peculiar.”

“Am I stuck in some kind of…loop?” She asked him. “So far it’s only happened once. But I am not gonna be stuck like this.”

“Just…give me a moment.” He moved over to the woman. “Good afternoon. I am given to understand you’re looking for a mummy’s hand, yes?”

She nodded. “Yes. I called earlier and was told you have one.”

“Right. Have you your own containment? It is a live hand and is incredibly dangerous.” Giles asked.

“Well, no.” The woman said. “That’s your job.”

“Actually, you contacted us simply requesting the hand. You are responsible for transport.”

“Your employee didn’t say that over the phone.” She hiked her purse up. “I am not leaving until I get the hand. You’ll just have to come up with something.”

“Well, I do have a QuisqueRefrenatione. But it’s extra.” He said.

Faith watched the exchange.

“I’m not paying for a box  _and_  the hand. I came for the hand, that’s all I’m paying for.” She was getting angry. “Now bring me that hand right now.”

“Have you any means of controlling it so it doesn’t harm you?” Giles asked, massaging the bridge of his nose. “Otherwise, I can’t sell it to you.”

She sneered. “Well, then I’ll just take my business elsewhere.” She turned and left the store without another word.

Faith rubbed her face in her hands and heard the bell over the door jingle. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She saw Anya staring at her with a smile. “Go and help that customer. Get a feel for it.” She said, happily.

“Fuck me.” Faith said, sadly. “Hey, Anya?”

“Yes?”

“How much is the QuisqueRefrenatione you guys have?” Faith asked.

“Two hundred and forty-nine, ninety-nine.” She said, off the top of her head. “Why?”

“How much for the live mummy hand in the basement?”

“Eight hundred ninety dollars and ninety-nine cents,” Anya asked. “Why are you asking?”

“Here.” Faith pulled the three hundred bucks out of her pocket and handed it to Anya. “Go and get the box.”

The girl shrugged and pocketed the cash and went into the back room, coming back with the chest. “Here you go.”

Faith took it and carried it with her down into the basement. She set it on the crate and reached for the hand. Again, it leapt at her. She caught it in midair and opened the box. She dropped the severed hand in and closed it quickly. She took it upstairs and over to the waiting woman. The male customer intercepted her, but she shook her head. “Give me second, bud. Be right with you.” He nodded and moved back to the candles. “You called about the mummy hand, right?”

“I did. But this is a…”

“Box is free with the purchase of the hand.” Faith said. “Let’s go ring this bad boy up. Word of caution. This hand is pretty lively.”

The woman nodded. “I’ve dealt with them before.”

Faith rang her up and handed her the box. “There you are. Enjoy.” She watched the woman take the chest and leave the store. She waited a few seconds and smiled. She moved over to the man with the candles. “Alright…” She said, kneeling and lifting up the midnight lavender. “This is what you want…” She again explained what he should do to have a good evening.

She was incredibly glad that that was over. “I swear to god, I’m gonna find this assclown and whoop the shit out of him.”

Anya came over, with Faith’s change. “Here you are. And your receipt.”

Faith took it and pocketed it. She stared outside and saw that same black van, pulling away. She ran out of the store and watched it race down the street. “Great.” She said, sighing. “No license plate. Figures.”

Dawn came out, looking around. “What?”

Faith grinned widely. “I just got a really good idea.” She headed for the Jeep. “Come on. We need to talk to double B.”

Ten minutes later, Buffybot was sitting on the sofa with the access port on her stomach open. “I am never gonna get used to that,” Dawn said, shaking her head.

“It’s okay, Dawn,”Buffybot said in that same chipper voice. “It doesn’t hurt. But I appreciate your concern.”

“What’s up, robo B?”

“I’m getting customer service skills.” She said, happily. “I’m going to work.”

“Um…what?” Faith asked.

“Anya had a good suggestion. She suggested giving her some customer service skills and having her join the workforce to bring in some extra money.” Willow offered. “It’s actually not a bad idea. We can always use extra money around here.”

“That actually reminds me. I’ve got another job. I’m working nine to two at the construction site Xander works at. I’m making twenty-one fifty an hour.”

“That’s two grand a month. On top of what the Watcher’s council is paying you.” Willow nodded. “That’s good money.”

Faith shrugged. “So, B. I was wondering if you knew Warren’s address.”

She nodded. “He created me.” She said. She read his address off. “He lives with his parents.”

“Not surprised.” Faith said. “I’m gonna go and stir things up. See what his deal is.” She looked to Dawn. “Stay here.”

“You shouldn’t go yet,” Tara said, moving out of the kitchen. “First off, because dinner is almost ready and second, because you should wait until dark.”

“Why?” Faith asked.

“Well, you p-plan on beating the truth out of him, right?” At Faith’s nod, Tara shrugged. “Less people pay attention to that kind of thing at night.”

Faith chuckled. “True. So what did you make for dinner?”

“Meatloaf,” Tara said. “And garlic cheddar mashed potatoes.”

Faith sighed. “I think I love you.” She said, grinning widely.

Tara giggled and went back into the kitchen. Willow looked at Faith and drew a small smirk.

Dawn was just glad to see everyone getting along so well.

Warren sat behind the wheel of the van. Andrew was beside him and Jonathan in the passenger seat.

“Where are we going?” Jonathan asked.

“To Final Jeopardy. Where Faith’s the one in the jeopardy.” Warren said, his voice sinister.

“We are really super-villains now, like…like Dr. No.” Andrew offered, smiling. Jonathan nodded his agreement.

“Yeah, back when Bond was Connery, and movies were decent.” Warren piped in.

Jonathan gave him a scornful look. “Who remembers Connery? I mean, Roger Moore was smooth.”

Warren returned his stare. “You’re insane. You’re short, and you’re insane.”

Andrew shrugged. “I like Timothy Dalton!” He said, before getting a smack upside the head by Warren. “Hey!”

“Don’t make me pull over, okay?” Warren snapped. “Connery  _is_  Bond. He had style.”

Jonathan nodded. “Yeah, but Roger Moore was funny.”

Warren gave him an incredulous look. “ _Moonraker_? The gondola turns into a hovercraft? It’s retarded. Besides, the guy had, like, no edge.”

Andrew turned angry eyes to Warren. “Dalton had edge. In  _License to Kill_ , he was a rogue agent. That’s edgy.” Warren and Jonathan both carried disbelief in their eyes as they regarded him. “And he was amazing in  _The Living Daylights_.”

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, which was written for Roger Moore, not Timothy Dalton!”

Warren stopped the van. “Okay, this is stupid! We’re wasting time. End of discussion.” The other two nodded and got to their consoles. Unable to let it go, Warren piped in again. “I mean, there’s a shot of like  _pigeons_  doing double-takes when the gondola blasted by!  _Moonraker_ is inexcusable.” He stood in the back of the van. “Connery is the only actor of the bunch.”

Andrew rose up behind him. “Timothy Dalton should get an Oscar and beat Sean Connery over the head with it!”

Warren lowered his eyes and sighed. “Okay, that’s it.” He spun and grabbed Andrew in a headlock. The pair struggled around the inside of the van.

Jonathan got up and tried pulling them apart. “Hey! Stop it! Guys!”

Faith drove along, looking at the addresses. “I can’t see the numbers.” She said, dismayed.

“That’s alright, luv,” Spike said from the passenger side. “I know which one is his.”

“Okay, I gotta ask. Why?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” He said, pulling a cigarette out. He tapped the lighter of the car. “Love makes you do weird things.”

“I can understand that.” Faith offered. “Right now there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for Red, T-bear, and little D.”

“It’s not the same,” Spike said, sadly. “Can’t really blame Buffy for not being into it. What with what she went through with Angel and all that.”

“And the fact that, you know, you’re evil and he’s not.” Faith said. “Some girls look down on that kinda shit.”

Spike looked at her with a smile. He pulled the lighter free and lit his smoke. “Some girls, eh?”

Faith returned his grin. “Never said any of those girls are me.”

“Trust, me I found that out.” He took a drag. “You are one wild girl in the sack, luv.”

“Get that a lot.” Faith said. “So did you and double B ever…you know?”

“Why? Jealous?” Spike asked.

“Jealousy really doesn’t cover what I’m feeling right now, to be honest.”

“Several times.” He said, giving her a bad-boy smirk. “That bother you?”

“Not so much. World’s most technologically advanced sex doll.” Faith said. “Whatever gets you through it.”

“Pale shadow, if you ask me,” Spike said, softly.

“Yeah. I miss her too.” Faith offered. She suddenly slammed on the brakes. “No fucking way.”

“What?” Spike asked, looking around.

“That van. It was at the construction site and outside the Magic Box earlier today. I saw it driving away.” She climbed out of the Jeep and started walking toward it.

Spike moved out beside her. “This ought to be fun.” He finished his cigarette and flicked the butt off to the side.

Jonathan tried to break them up, glancing at the monitor. He gasped loudly. “Look!”

The pair stopped wrestling long enough to eye the monitor. Faith was stalking toward the van, extremely angry. “Oh, she’s coming over here! What do we do?”

“Jonathan, grab your magic bone,” Warren said before he and Andrew burst into giggles again. Jonathan just looked at them, annoyance plainly written on his face.

Faith drew closer, clenching her fists. “God, I’m gonna enjoy this. Son of a bitch has been making my shit miserable all damn day.”

Suddenly a massive demon leapt from behind the van. He was easily a foot taller than she was and was heavily muscled. His skin was a dusky red and his wings appeared almost golden. He had long black shiny horns and wore nothing but a loincloth. To Faith, he looked oddly like … “A Pit Fiend?” She said, cocking an eyebrow. “Really?”

The demon stopped and stared at her, surprise on his face. “Wow. How did you know… I mean Raaarrgh!” The beast lifted its arms menacingly. “You have discovered me!” He put his hands on his hips. “But do not try to defeat me, for I have been testing you and I know your weaknesses. Hahaha!” He cast a quick look at the van as it screeched away.

Faith took a step and spun, planting her heel directly into the beast’s abdomen. The monster flew backward at least twenty feet and slammed into a pile of trash cans.

“Ooh! Oh!” The demon growled, trying to get to his feet. He finally stood to see Faith walking toward him, clenching her fists.

Spike was laughing hysterically.

“I am well struck!” The beast croaked out. “I call on the misty portal to my demon dimension, where I will lay my head and gently die.” In a bright flash and a puff of smoke, Faith was temporarily blinded. She staggered back, hacking and coughing. She couldn’t see a damn thing. The demon turned and ran between a pair of houses, disappearing in the night.

“Son of a bitch.” Faith said, looking around. “He didn’t just explode, did he?” She looked at Spike. “Did you see anything?”

He was wiping his eyes because he was laughing so hard. “Yeah. I saw a bloke in a demon suit.” He chuckled again. “That wasn’t a real demon. It’s a glamour. An illusion. Looks and feels real, but it’s not. Was a normal bloke under all that nasty.”

“How do you know?” Faith asked, curious.

“Because a demon that size, that powerful looking. Aside from looking like a page out of a Dungeons and Dragons book, would have been able to shrug a kick like that off.”

Faith had to concede that. As impressive as the beast looked, it had a glass jaw. “Warren strikes again.” She said. “This guy is starting to be a pain in my ass.”

Warren pulled the van over into a darkened alley. “He’ll be okay.” He said, looking at Andrew. He looked into the side mirror and turned around. “Case in point.”

The demon ran up the driver’s side door. “She hurt me all over.”

Warren thumbed toward the back of the van. “Someone’ll see you! Get in the back.”

The beast shook his head. “I won’t fit.”

Andrew looked over at him. “Well, do the…thing.”

“Oh, right.” The demon said, nodding. “Let the spell be ended!” The massive creature shrunk and turned back into Jonathan. He had to hold the loin cloth around his waist. He groaned in pain and hobbled to the back of the van, climbing in gingerly. “Ahh! Ow.”

Warren wrapped a blanket around him.

“Ohh, next time I do that spell, one of you guys has to look like the demon,” Jonathan said, his voice heavy with pain.

“The slayer touched you,” Andrew said, awestruck.

“Yeah, it was sexy the way she touched me real hard with her boot. I only looked big. I actually had the proportional strength of…well…me.”

Warren shook his head. “Guys, think about this. We took on the Slayer. I mean, we’ve got all kinds of stuff in the computer now…speed, strength, reaction time…we’re getting what we need to really become a threat to her. We tested her, faced her…and we survived.”

Jonathan frowned. “Unless I have internal injuries that will eventually kill me.”

Andrew nodded. “Oh, of course, but barring that, Warren’s right. We did good!”

Warren smiled widely. “The Trio…versus the Slayer. It’s not over.”

Andrew jumped up and sat in one of the chairs, working with the gear. “Plus, look what Warren and me discovered by accident before we drove away!”

The other two came and looked over his shoulder. “What?” Jonathan asked. He stared at the screens.

“Free cable porn!” The three said in unison.

Faith sat out on the roof just outside the bedroom she occupied at the Summers house. She heard the door to the room open and the soft footfalls pad across the floor. She turned to see Tara climb out onto the roof beside her. She handed the slayer a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in it. Faith chuckled and took it. “Thanks.”

“Th-thought you could use a little comfort.” The blonde said, sitting beside her. “Any luck finding him?”

“No.” Faith said, sipping the cocoa. “Spike said he’ll keep an ear to the ground. Learn what he can.”

“It wasn’t like anything he did was much of a threat,” Tara said. “Willow has a theory.”

“Really?” Faith asked. “What’s she got?”

“Come on,” Tara said, climbing back inside. “She made charts.”

“Oh, a whole presentation, huh?” Faith made sure not to spill her drink. “Can’t wait to see this.”

The pair made their way downstairs to see Willow with some papers on the dining room table and a whiteboard with writing on it.

“T-bear says you may have the low down on what Warren’s beef is with me.” Faith said, taking a seat.

“Well, I’ve been looking into what happened to you over the past couple of days. I coordinated my search with Giles and Anya. I described the demon that you fought to Anya and she said she’s never heard of it or anything like it. Demons tend not to look quite so…”

“Fantasy RPG-ish?” Faith asked. “Yeah, I figured something like that. I mean, the whole. ‘Wow, how did you know?’ Should have been a dead giveaway, but Spike let me in on the whole magical illusion angle.”

Willow nodded. “Warren is a tech-genius. Mad scientist stuff. Robot girlfriends, little devices that can alter time, things like that.”

“So what are you saying?” Faith asked.

“Well, the first incident was a device. That smacks of Warren Mears. But the second thing that happened was a trio of demons. We’ve identified the demon. Its name is really hard to pronounce…even for me.”

“That’s saying something. Between you and Tweed, I don’t think there’s language on the planet you two can’t figure out.” Faith admitted.

“But they are usually second-hand foot soldiers. Low level goon types. Someone summoned them to test you. Unlike most other types of demons, they don’t travel to different worlds to promote mayhem. They aren’t drawn to the Hellmouth.”

“A-and from what we know of Warren, he doesn’t do demon summoning.”

“But we know someone that does. Buffy beat the hell out of his big brother on prom night.”

“The kid that had the hell hounds.” Faith said. “Boss was pissed about that. He actually wanted me to go and tune his ass up, but by the time I got to his house, Buffy was there and handling it.”

“Tucker disappeared after that. But Buffy learned that it was actually his little brother Andrew that summoned the hounds for him.” Willow offered.

“So you think Warren and this…Andrew kid are teaming up to piss me off?” Faith asked. “What the hell did I do to these guys?”

“It’s not over yet,” Willow said. “The last trial you faced was the Magic Box. Time seemed to loop for you until you could find a way to give the woman the mummy hand, right?”

“Oddly.” Faith said.

“We only know one person that can do that kind of magic so flawlessly. He did it before.” Willow said. She looked to Tara.

“Jonathan.”

“The little dark haired kid that wanted to kill himself in high school?” Faith asked. “I’ve met him like, once. And all I did was keep a jock from smackin’ him around.”

“But if you look at it, everything that happened to you…the time fluctuation device, the demons at the construction site and the reality alteration magic? Not to mention the demon illusion. It makes sense.”

“So what, these guys are like…the Legion of Doom, the B team?” At Willow’s nod, she sighed. “Great. I’ve got Brainiac’s retarded lab assistant, Doctor Fate’s pet monkey and a socially awkward dork with a Mother Box.” Faith shook her head. “Wonderful.”

Willow and Tara both looked at each other. “You must have read a lot of comics.”

“I like comic books, what?” The girl said, shrugging.

“We’ll just have to keep an eye out and make sure they don’t bother you,” Willow said. She moved over and hugged Faith. “Don’t worry, we’ll protect the slayer from big mean nerds.”

Faith reached over and gently dug her fingers into the redhead’s ribs. Willow immediately receded, giggling. “Yeah, but who’s gonna protect you from me, Red.” The brunette got up and started chasing Willow around the table.

The witch hid behind her girlfriend. “Tara, help.”

The blonde nodded. “Okay.” She said before turning and tickling the girl in earnest. “But t-two on one seems a little unfair.” The three tumbled to the floor, in a fit of giggling and laughing.

Dawn came down the stairs and stopped by the entrance to the dining room. “Jeez, guys. Take it upstairs.” She said, moving into the kitchen.

The three stopped and sat on the floor, breathing heavily.

Faith rose to her feet. “I’m gonna hit the showers.” She said, before veritably running up the stairs.

“You know, for a moment there…” Willow said. “I think she actually knew what it was like to just be a teenage girl.”

“It l-looked good on her,” Tara said. She looked at Willow and bit her lip. She cocked her head to the side.

The redhead nodded. She was thinking the same exact thing.

 


	14. Chapter 14

 

“Seriously?” Faith asked, looking at Giles with a raised eyebrow. “You want me to what?”

“I-I-It’s customary for people to, to, to dress up on Halloween.” He said, nervously. He knew that he was asking a lot of Faith as it was to help out with various duties for the Magic Box on their first big Halloween sale the following night. Her time was already monopolized by working her fingers to the bone at the construction site, trying to get her car rebuilt and training Dawn. To say nothing of patrolling every single night alone.

While not having been seriously injured yet, Faith was carrying a rather inordinate amount of fading bruises, welts, and cuts from her nights on the town. According to what Tara and Willow had been telling him, Faith hadn’t been to the Bronze but a handful of times since returning to Sunnydale. The girl was proving to be quite the responsible adult, despite her younger age.

But to be requiring her to don a costume of some sort for her night at the shop, he felt was pushing it. I didn’t however, hurt to try. “I can’t force you to dress up, of course…” He added.

She leaned against the wall of the training room and sighed. “This is important to you, isn’t it?” She asked him.

“Yes, it sort of is.” He said, wiping the sweat from his brow. “If you don’t feel comfortable with it…”

She rubbed her face in her hands. “Is there anything you rather I  _not_  wear?”

“Um…” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “Nothing too…provocative?”

“Okay, so no coming to the shop dressed like a dominatrix or anything?” Faith asked, smirking.

“I would prefer it if you didn’t.” He said. “We’ll most likely have children about.”

“It’ll get ‘em talking.” Faith said. “But I hear you. Keep it G-rated. Something kid friendly. I’ll take T-bear and Red shopping tonight. See what we can scrounge up.”

He gave her a warm smile. “I really do appreciate it, Faith.” He said, happily.

She shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.” She looked at her watch. “I better get moving if I wanna get my shit done before I gotta patrol.”

“You know…” He said, moving toward her. “I’ve spoken with Spike. He’s told me that he doesn’t mind taking the burden once in a while if you feel like taking the time off.”

Faith immediately shook her head. “Can’t do that.” She said, sitting down to pull the tape off her hands and feet. “Slaying is my responsibility, not his. Council ain’t paying’ me to sit on my ass, watch TV and play videos games.”

He sighed heavily. He knew better than to suggest such a thing. “Well, tomorrow is Halloween and, for the most part, the supernatural element tends to not be an issue.”

“Yeah, I read about that. That’s pretty much the only reason I agreed to help you out. Since I won’t be patrolling, I can put in my volunteer time here.”

“I’m not going to make you do it for free.” He said.

“Don’t worry about it.” She said, motioning around. “You wanna make it up to me? Pick up a few ten packs of tacos from Taco Bell down the street. Gimme something to eat tomorrow night. We’ll call it square.”

He smiled. “And a case a soda.” He offered.

She held her hand out. “Mr. Giles? We have an accord.” She said, in a horrible British accent.

“You know…” He said, shaking her hand. “Not all of us Brits sound like Captain Jack Sparrow.”

“Yeah…you kinda do.” She said. “I’m outta here. I’ll catch you later tonight. I might just call you to give you the highlights if I run into anything.”

“Fair enough. Have a good evening.”

Faith left the shop, waving goodbye to Anya as she did so and climbed into the Jeep. She made it home a few minutes later. Willow sat with her feet propped on the sofa with the TV on. She had a textbook in her hands and was reading intently. She did look up as Faith walked through the door. A warm smile drew across her face. “Hey.” She said. “How was work?”

“Lotta lifting and carrying.” Faith said. “Same shit, different day. You and T-bear busy?”

The redhead shook her head. “No, why?”

“Well, you know we’re all gonna be clocking time at the Magic Box tomorrow night. Tweed wants us all to dress up.” Faith said. “And I ain’t got a damn clue what to dress up as. Last time I dressed up in a costume I was eight.”

Willow grinned. She could picture little Faith Lehane clad in some cheesy off the rack costume. “What were you?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?” Faith asked, sitting on the arm of the easy chair.

“No.” Willow offered, stifling a snicker.

“Well, then to hell with it.” Faith rose and moved toward the stairs.

“Okay, okay. I promise I won’t laugh…much.” She stared into Faith’s narrowed eyes. “Look, you’re like, the poster girl for badass, okay. If you tell me you were a princess or something, I’m gonna laugh my ass off. Sorry.”

Faith sighed and crossed her arms. “Well, I was a princess…sort of.”

“What do you mean, sort of?” Willow said. “You were either a princess or you weren’t.”

“The character I dressed up as was a princess  _technically_.” Faith looked at Willow sheepishly. “I was Wonder Woman.”

Willow raised her eyebrows. “You were Wonder Woman?”

“Princess Diana of Themyscira.” Faith shrugged. “Just seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“I can see that. You and she have a lot in common.” Willow said. “Why not dress up as her again?”

“Really?” Faith asked. “You don’t think that would be too…revealing?”

“It’s Wonder Woman. It’s not like her likeness isn’t plastered all over the place as it is.”

“True.” Faith said, nodding. “I could live with that.”

“And think about it this way. In the off chance that everyone gets turned into their costumes again, you’ll have a leg up.”

“Oh, yeah, because I’ll need the ability to juggle aircraft carriers.” Faith said. “I need to go shopping for what I’m gonna need. What about you two?”

Willow nodded. “I gotta think of something.”

“I’m gonna grab a shower, then we can all hit the mall or something.” Faith said, turning and heading up the stairs.

Willow bit her lip and thought. She had no idea that Giles wanted them to wear costumes. She put her book down and rose to her feet, padding softly into the kitchen. Tara was busy making brownies. She had a batch already cooling on the counter, several of which Dawn was demolishing at the island with a large glass of milk. “I thought you would be with Faith and the Magic Box working out.”

“Had a lot of homework to get done,” Dawn said. “But I managed it.” She dipped the brownie and took another bite. “She made them with walnuts.”

“Ooh,” Willow said, taking one of them and quickly devouring it. “My girl can cook.”

Tara blushed and leaned in to kiss the redhead. “You two c-can have all of those. This batch is for Faith.” The girl said, pouring the mix into the baking dish.

“Why does she get a whole batch to herself?” Dawn asked.

Both Tara and Willow looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow. The teen looked at them for a moment and finally nodded. “Right. Dumb question.”

A few minutes later Faith came down the stairs in a pair of jeans and a black tank top. “Hey, T-bear.” The slayer said. “Ooh, brownies.” She reached for one, only to be smacked in the hand with a spatula.

“Those are for us. Yours are in the oven and need to finish baking.” Tara said sternly.

Faith frowned. “But I want a brownie now.” She whined.

“Tough noogies, sister,” Tara said, pointing the spatula at her menacingly. “You’ll just have to be patient.”

Faith sighed and moved over to the fridge, pulling out a can of soda. “Fair enough. So does everyone know what they’re gonna dress up as for Halloween?”

Both Tara and Willow shook their heads. Dawn bit her lip but said nothing. “What about you?” Tara asked.

“Probably go as Wonder Woman. At least that’s what Red here says I should be.”

“I think you’d be cute,” Tara said with a shy smile.

“You just wanna see me in a skimpy little costume.” Faith said, slugging her soda.

“You caught me.” Tara offered softly.

“You caught  _us._ ” Willow corrected.

“The pair of you are spoken for there, ladies.”

“Good god,” Dawn said, taking another brownie and rising to her feet.

“What’s your issue, little D?”

“I swear. Sometimes you’re dimmer than a three-watt bulb.” She left the room, leaving Faith to stand there and wonder what the hell the little girl was talking about.

The slayer turned to the pair of witches. She sighed and crushed the can in her hand and tossed it into the trash. She crossed her arms and leaned against the fridge. “Why?” She asked, finally.

The blonde and the redhead both looked at her. “What do you mean?” Willow asked, genuinely curious.

“Since I got back to Sunnydale, a few rocky first days aside, you two have been flirting with me non-stop.” She looked each of them in the eye. “I’m not gonna say the idea doesn’t intrigue me, because, well, it does. But I’m not gonna step on anyone’s toes. I’m here to do what B asked me to do. That’s my priority.” She motioned upstairs. “ _She’s_  my priority. I’m being trusted by the one person whose trust I really don’t deserve to make sure her sister is okay. I don’t wanna do  _anything_  to jeopardize that.” She gave the pair a minute. “With that said, I wanna know, in no uncertain terms, just how serious I should be taking…” She motioned between the three of them. “ _This_.”

Tara and Willow stared at each other a moment. “Would you give us the room?” The blonde asked.

Faith nodded. “Sure. I’m gonna grab laundry. You girls got anything that needs doing?”

“A couple shirts and a pair of pants on our bedroom floor,” Tara said. After Faith left the room, Tara turned her soft blue eyes to Willow. “She does raise an interesting question.”

“Yeah, she does,” Willow said, taking the girl’s hands. “How do you feel about her?”

“She’s been wonderful. She’s been a huge help to Dawnie, she’s been considerate of our schedules. She’s quiet when she comes back from patrol. She’s up to make sure we have breakfast before we go to school, she makes sure we have lunches to take with us. She’s a whiz with a budget.” Tara sighed. “She’s perfect.”

Willow nodded. “I kinda feel like we take advantage of her.”

“It’s because she genuinely wants to do right by everyone. Not just for Dawn, but for all of us.”

“But how do you  _feel_  about her?” Willow asked again. “Inside.”

“I could see myself loving her, Willow.” Tara offered, her voice feather soft. “Just the caring she shows. The compassion for everyone around her. When I met her before she was… she was so angry. Angry at the world, angry at herself, her situation. But now?” She shook her head. “She’s a completely different person. I think she just needed somewhere to belong.” She squeezed Willow’s hands. “And I think she belongs with us.”

The redhead slowly smiled. “I’m glad you feel that way.” She pulled Tara in and kissed her. “I think tonight we should… you know.”

“Do you think she’s ready for that?” Tara asked her. “Are  _we_  ready for that?”

“We should at least talk about it,” Willow said. “Clear the air and see where we all stand on the idea. I know it isn’t exactly traditional, but hey, we’re in Sunnydale. I’m dating a girl and my best friend is dating an ex-demon. Not to mention we got a robotic doppelganger posing as a fry cook at the local fast food joint, and we live with a convicted murderer and we seem to be giddy about it.” She chuckled. “Traditional in our lives would just be creepy.”

“I-I don’t think we’d recognize normal if it bit us on the ass,” Tara said, snickering also.

“Well, if we wanna be bitten on the ass, there’s a slayer upstairs that would be more than happy,” Willow said, unable to stop herself.

“Y-You’re bad,” Tara said, turning away from her to check the brownies.

A moment later, Faith came through the kitchen with a basket full of laundry. “You two get everything hashed out?” She asked.

“We did,” Willow said. “We’ll talk about it after you get home from patrol tonight.”

“A-And don’t worry about your c-costume for tomorrow,” Tara said. “I’ve actually got a light load on classes, so I can pick up what you need.”

Faith nodded. “Nice. I’m gonna go ahead and suit up. Hit the streets and try to make an early night of it. Got a big day tomorrow.”

Tara snuck in and pecked her on the lips. “Be careful.”

Willow shot in and did likewise. “Come back safe. We got a lot to talk about.” She pointed to the large pan Tara pulled out of the oven. “And slayer brownies.”

“Walnuts and p-peanut butter chips.” Tara offered.

“You know, you two are makin’ it really hard to leave.” Faith said, smiling.

“Brownies need to cool,” Willow said. She turned Faith around and gently pushed her through the door. “Now go. Have fun. Beat up vampires and come back home to your family.”

Faith sighed and did as she was told. She strapped on her body armor and her weapons. She moved down the stairs and out into the garage. “Later.” She said to the pair. They smiled and waved back to her. She hit the garage door and climbed onto the classic Harley Davidson that she kept after the Hellions decided to vacate Sunnydale. Her car had been a hard fix simply because of the parts needed taking so long to get shipped to her.

The Harley, strangely, just needed to have the engine rebuilt. She disassembled the entire motor and cleaned up the parts. After she’d gone through it, replacing the seals and plugs, the bike was in excellent shape. She fired the bike up and it rumbled to life. Instead of putting on a gaudy paint job, she just gave it a coat of black primer and left it at that. She did seal it to make sure it didn’t rust horribly, but that was it. She flipped back the stand rolled out into the driveway, lowering the garage door and off she went.

She had trouble concentrating as she moved through the town slowly, trying to keep an eye out. Her thoughts were on the conversation to come. She drove into a cemetery parking lot and dropped the bike’s stand. She climbed off and began searching through the plots looking for any sign of the undead. She reached out with her senses, but couldn’t focus. She knew why.

She shook her head and brought herself back to the task at hand. The town was counting on her to keep them safe. She couldn’t distract herself with what might come later. She got her head back in the game and stretched out her senses once again. She moved along slowly, keeping ready for anything that might be looking for a tasty mortal to snack on.

“Stop.” She heard a soft, giggling voice call from a section of the graveyard secluded by a large stand of trees. She remembered this place. It was a very out of the way spot at the back of one of the older cemeteries. She remembered asking Buffy if she’d ever found kids making out near here. She crept closer, taking care not to be heard. She’d had a long time to practice how to walk silently in heavy boots.

She rounded a tree and watched the pretty young brunette girl leaning against a tree, staring into the eyes of a tall rather good looking short haired blonde boy. The boy was wearing a nice black t-shirt and a pair of wranglers that were tight in the butt. She spared a moment to check out his caboose before she turned her eyes to the girl. She was wearing a pair of bright orange spandex pants and a melon colored tank top that hung loose on one shoulder. Her hair was piled high and looked to have enough product in it to put the entire 80’s glam movement to shame. Faith looked down her legs and raised an eyebrow. “Really?” She asked softly. “Leg warmers?”

That pretty much told her everything she needed to know. She made sure her silver cross was visible about her neck and moved toward the pair as the boy leaned in to nuzzle the girl’s neck. “Come on, baby.” He said, his voice husky. His hands were all over her and she was showing no signs of stopping him.

Faith closed in, clearing her throat. “Nice night.” She said, smiling. She made sure her trench was closed.

The pair looked at her. “Was.” The boy said, looking her up and down. “It might have just gotten better.”

Faith shook her head. “Ain’t here for you, slick.” She said. She looked at the girl. “I’m here for her.”

“Oh, man.” He said, sadly. “You a fuckin’ lesbian?”

“No, I play both sides of the fence.” She said. “But your girl toy there is a lot more interesting than you. Cute butt aside.” She stepped closer. “Case in point.” She lifted the cross and held toward the girl. She immediately hissed and recoiled from it. “This the part where you run.” She said, shoving the boy away from the vampire.

“No!” The girl screamed, going game face. “He’s mine!” She lunged at Faith, trying to claw her eyes out.

Faith stepped aside, throwing her coat open. “Aw, look who decided to come out and play.” She snatched a stake from her belt.

The vampire squared off with her, holding her fingers in hooked claws. “I thought the slayer was dead.”

“You need to get out more.” Faith said, spinning the stake in her hand. “There’s always a slayer, sister. You kill one, another just seems to pop up.” She shot forward with a hard right cross that caught the vampire across the face. She spun with a follow-up backhand that knocked the girl to the ground. “I’m gonna say you were turned in the what? Mid-eighties?” Faith asked, dancing back from the girl. “That makes you at least thirty-five years old. And no one taught your ass to fight? That’s just sad.”

The girl rose and lunged violently. Faith met her head on, driving her shoulder into the vamp’s abdomen and slamming her to the ground, hard. She rose and hammered the stake down into the girl’s chest. “I could say something cool and witty, but you really ain’t worth the effort.” She stood and dusted herself off. The boy was long gone.

Faith sighed and finished her patrol of the graveyard. She spent the next three hours moving from cemetery to cemetery. She even stopped by the Bronze for a quick look around. She had a soda and watched the people for a bit before calling it a night.

She made it back to the house at just after ten thirty. She pulled into the garage and climbed off. She spared a moment to stare at her car. The rear quarter panel was repaired and laser straight. The glass had all been replaced. The only thing she was waiting on was the front fender and the door. According to the website, she should have those by the first. She would be glad to get back behind the wheel of something that had balls. The Jeep with its inline six-cylinder motor was lucky to be pumping out a hundred and ninety horses. It had plenty of pep, but to Faith, the thing was gutless as hell. She longed for her beast.

She shook her head and quietly walked into the kitchen, shutting off the lights and closing the door. She made her way through the silent house and up the stairs to her room. She stepped inside and began removing her hunting gear. She hung her jacket up on the back of the door, pulled her assault vest off and tossed it onto her bed. She took her body armor off and hung it meticulously on the mannequin in the corner of the room. She then draped the vest over it and gathered a pair of shorts and a tank top to wear after she got out of the shower.

Once she was clean, she tossed her dirty clothes into the hamper and descended the stairs to get something to eat, as was her routine. She was surprised to see the kitchen light on. She was suddenly wire tight. She quietly crept around the corner and peered in. Tara stood at the stove cooking something.

Willow was at the island chopping vegetables. She looked up at Faith and smiled brightly. “I hope you’re hungry. Tara’s making BLT’s.”

Faith nodded and moved to the fridge. “That’ll work.” She said, pulling a bottle of water out.

“H-How was patrol tonight?” Tara asked.

“Boring. Just some chick that was a serious throwback to the eighties. She was wearing spandex and leg warmers. Kept expecting to hear  _Maniac_  by Michael Sembello at some point.”

Willow giggled. “You know, the night we met you, that’s kind of how Buffy realized the guy you were dancing with was a vampire. Cordy called him ‘Disco Dave’. Thought the last thing he danced to was KC and the Sunshine Band.”

Faith laughed. “I remember. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking with those pants.” She sipped her water. “I burned ‘em.”

“Well…” Tara said. “M-my read in the landscape was that you were in a p-pretty dark place then.”

“There’s no excuse for Technicolor pleather. I don’t care how depressed you are.” Faith said. “Actually, I think I stole those pants.”

“From who?” Willow asked. She was actually curious.

“Some girl I shacked up with for a couple of days in Lake Tahoe. She was this rich spoiled girl. Wasn’t all that. Had a hell of a crib, though. She wore the same size clothes I did. Took a lot of clothes from her when I bailed. Why I snagged those pants, I’ll never know.”

“Well, in your defense, they did look pretty good on you,” Willow said. She looked to Tara. “Her legs look like they were shrink-wrapped.”

Faith sighed. “There it is again.” She sat at the island. “So we gonna talk about this or what?” She looked from Willow to Tara. “I just wanna know how far to take it.”

“You can take it as far as you’d like to,” Willow said. “I’m attracted to girls. No surprise there. Tara here has always been a lesbian. And you?”

Faith shrugged. “I’m down with whatever comes my way. Life as harsh and dangerous as mine, you tend not to be picky.”

Tara finished cooking the bacon and turned to place it on the platter with the rest. “We’re both attracted to you, Faith. We see the genuinely good person you are.” She looked at Willow. “Both of us.”

The slayer sighed heavily. “But can you look past all the shit I’ve done? All the mistakes I’ve made?”

“I think inviting you to live with us shows that we already have,” Willow said. “You’ve been a blessing around here. Despite working your butt off, you still take care of a lot of the things that need doing. You cook when we, well, Tara can’t. You do a lot of the housework, you make sure that everyone is ready to face the day and you’re a wonderful influence on Dawn.”

“I’m not sure about that.” Faith offered.

“She’s a lot more confident because of you. You don’t treat her like a child. That’s a habit that Willow and I need to get out of.”

“That and you’re teaching her to defend herself. That makes her so happy.” Willow said. “We could never have done that.”

Faith shrugged. “I guess. I’m just…” She looked at the girls. “I’m scared. I’m always afraid of saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing. Things are going good today, but what will tomorrow bring, you know?”

“Tomorrow is tomorrow,” Tara said, setting a plate loaded with sandwiches in front of the girl. “We’re not asking for an eternal commitment, Faith. We just, well you said it best. Life is too short not to take advantage of a good thing.”

“So let me make sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what we’re all talking about. Me, you and Red together. In a relationship.”Both Willow and Tara nodded. “In every way?”

“If you’re comfortable with it,” Willow said.

“Alright. I’m willing. But what are the ground rules?” Faith asked. “I’ve never done anything like this before and don’t want any kind of surprises down the line.”

“Well, first off…complete honesty.” Tara said. “We can’t have secrets from one another. There has to be trust. Without trust, it has never worked, it doesn’t work, it will never work. Second, no jealousy. If I want to take you to bed, Willow, you  _can’t_  be jealous about it. The same holds for me and Faith.” Tara looked at her. “That’s pretty much all I can think of.”

Willow nodded. “I think we should each try having a night with Faith alone. That way we can each get to know her on a more personal level and determine if there’s any chemistry one on one.” She looked at the slayer. “How does that sound to you?”

Faith shook her head. “Won’t work.”

“Why not?” Tara asked.

“Because the first time, we should all be in a room together. Not so much to share, but for all parties involved to know immediately if they can get over any kind of jealousy that might pop up.” Faith said, looking at both girls. “Sink or swim.”

“There is one more…request I’d like to make.” Tara said, looking at Faith earnestly. “I never knew you when you were initially here. But I’ve heard from Willow here and from others that you tended to…” She was searching for the right word.

“That I was a slut?” Faith asked. She could tell it was an uncomfortable topic for the witch, but she let her largely find her own way.

“I was trying to say it a little nicer than that.” The blonde said, sheepishly. “But yeah. I would really like it if you didn’t you know…bring people home with you.”

Faith smiled. “Have I yet?” She asked.

“Well, you did sleep with Spike,” Willow said.

“After everything he did for you guys, you saying he didn’t earn it?”

Tara and Willow regarded each and finally nodded their agreement. He did put himself in harm’s way numerous times for Dawn over the last year. So he was deserving of some kind of appreciation.

“Yeah, thought so.” Faith said. “I’m gonna level with you guys. I spent most of my life just moving around. Always moving from one thing to another. It was all I knew and at the time, it worked for me. It kept me from getting attached to something only to have to lose it again. And trust me, prison? Not much better. It boils down to this. If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten. All I’ve done was tried to get mine and get gone. And all I ever got was screwed over. I was in it for me. But over the last few weeks, I’ve been putting other people first. Just…trying it on for size. Trying to be responsible, trying to, to please other people. You know how people say a good deed is its own reward? Well, so far, from what I’ve been seeing, they’re right. I look at the two of you and I don’t see you judging me based what I’ve done. You only see what I’ve been doing. Same with Tweed, Xan, Anya and little D. You all see who I am, not who I was. That means a lot to me.”

“We see the good you’ve done,” Willow said. “I treated you horribly back then. I know that. I was really insecure back then.”

“I could tell you were more confident in college. Don’t get me wrong, you still hit like a nerd, but you had balls. I remember when I showed up at the college and you were sneaking around behind me to club me with your backpack. When you were in high school you would never have tried that.” She lowered her eyes. “It’s funny. You were wearing that black shirt with the cutesy little cartoons on the front of it with the tan sleeves and a cute ankle length skirt and boots.” She shook her head. “I can’t remember what B was wearing.”

Willow smiled. “I’m sorry I hit you with my bag.”

“No, you’re not.” Faith said. “Besides, like I said. You still hit like a nerd. You just threw me off balance.” She looked up. “But you’ve been working on the witch-fu, though haven’t you?”

“We try to practice as much as possible,” Tara said. “She needs to learn control and f-focus.”

“She did this spell one time that actually was pretty cool. It filled these caves with fog and we were able to get in and lay the smack down. It was pretty damn cool.” Faith sighed. “I guess truth is, I don’t wanna keep moving from one disappointment to another. If we can make it work, awesome. I’m willing to put in the wrench time. Just don’t expect flowers and candy.” She looked at the girls. “Mainly because I think it’s a waste of money. Flowers die and candy…well, truth be told I’d more than likely eat it before you guys ever got any anyway.” As the girls giggled, she went on. “But I dig on the candlelight dinners and the walks on the beach and stuff. Hitting the Bronze for a night of fun and chillin’ on the sofa watching movies. Word of warning, don’t do chick flicks. I watch a movie to be entertained, not to feel bad.”

“Okay, no sad movies,” Willow said. “What about…Disney movies?”

“I’m okay with most of ‘em. You generally get happy endings, so I’m okay with that. Not a huge fan of Pixar, to be honest. The Shrek movies are cool. Except the fourth one. The only thing that had going for it was that Fiona was hot as hell as a badass rebel leader. And Puss in Boots was hilarious. Beyond that?” She shook her head.

“So what’s your taste?”

“Action and Martial Arts flicks.” Faith said. “No surprise there. I also dig on musicals.”

“Musicals?” Tara asked, snickering. “I would not have pegged that.”

“I don’t care for the older stuff. No West Side story or My Fair Lady. And I absolutely hate Sound of Music. Don’t get me wrong, it had its moments, but no. Love Rocky Horror Picture Show. Mainly just because it’s hilarious as hell to see Tim Curry in lingerie.”

“So it’s not so much musicals as it is rock operas.” Tara offered.

“I would say that but…I can’t believe I’m actually admitting this, but…I couldn’t stand Tommy. The only good track in that entire movie, at least to me, was Pinball Wizard, and then it’s just because I kinda dig on Elton John. At least some of his more upbeat shit.”

“Alright. To recap…” Willow said. “No sad movies, a handful of Pixar movies. Disney is okay as long as it isn’t weepy. Lots of Martial Arts and explosions.”

“And I love horror flicks, but those are more like comedies to people like me.” Faith added.

“I’m gonna say this now.” Tara piped in. “I don’t do torture porn.”

“Oh like, Hostel and shit?” Faith shook her head. “That shit blows. I’m not into that blood and gore stuff.”

“Good,” Tara said. “Finish eating, sweetie. It’s almost time for bed. We’ve all got a busy day tomorrow.”

Faith ate her sandwiches and sipped her water. “So what are your girls’ taste in music?”

Tara shrugged as she cleaned up the mess. “I like pretty much anything. Not a huge fan of death metal or any of that loud hard grunting stuff. But some hard rock, classic rock, jazz, R&B. I even like some rap.”

Willow nodded. “I like a lot of that stuff. I have to admit, I like modern pop. Katy Perry, AvrilLavigne, Brittney Spears. That kind of stuff. But I like rock, too.”

Faith nodded. “Good. I listen to pretty much everything. Really dig on the whole classical music meets heavy metal guitar thing. Like what Trans-Siberian Orchestra does. That really kicks ass.”

“I like them,” Willow said. “My mom and dad took me to see them at the Amphitheatre out in Oxnard a few years ago. They were really cool.”

“Lost Christmas Eve tour?” Faith asked.

Willow nodded. “It was really loud but really cool. I loved it.”

Faith finished her sandwiches and put her dishes in the dishwasher. She trotted into the basement to swap laundry and followed the girls up the stairs.

“Faith? Wh-why don’t you lay on the bed and w-we’ll give you a massage.” Tara offered. Willow nodded.

She shrugged and moved over, pulling her shirt and her shorts off. As she revealed her lean muscular form, the pair gasped sharply. Faith heard it and smiled, crawling up and laying on the bed. “Like this?”

“Yeah,” Willow said. “That’s just fine.”

Tara went into the bathroom and got the scented oils that she and Willow used for each other and moved onto the bed by Faith’s shoulders. Willow took a place near the slayer’s feet. They both took some of the oil in their hands and began slowly working the muscles from top to bottom.

Faith moaned at the sensual and relaxing contact. “I’m not gonna lie, no one has ever done this for me before.”

“Perks of having girlfriends,” Willow said. “But this isn’t a one-way street, sister. I expect a nice massage in return with all these slayer muscles you got here.” She worked Faith’s feet firmly.

“Sure, Red.” Faith said, smiling. “But you gotta be naked.”

The redhead blushed. “Well, fair is fair.” Tara giggled lightly.

Faith sighed. “I think I’m gonna like this.” After she was thoroughly relaxed, Willow and Tara both climbed into bed on either side of her. She rolled onto her back and smiled, looking at each of the girls. Both leaned in and gave her a rather steamy and sensual kiss.

“Good night.” Willow offered.

“Sleep tight,” Tara added.

The three lay there a moment before realizing that they forgot to turn the light out. “I don’t think any of us wants to get up.” Faith said, sadly.

“Lumine terminantur.” Willow said, motioning to the light switch. The bulb suddenly popped in the glass cover. “Oops.”

Faith giggled. “Well, it  _did_ turn the light out.”

Tara sighed. “It’s not  _terminate_  light, Willow. It’s  _turn off_  light. Avertelucem.”

“Oh, gosh. You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t sweat it, Red. I’ll put a new bulb in tomorrow.” Faith leaned over and pecked her on her cheek. She then settled in and was snoring soundly a few seconds later.

The others nestled in close, resting their heads on her shoulders, holding hands across Faith’s warm stomach and tossing their slender legs over hers. All three women fell asleep with smiles on their faces.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Faith sighed as she stared into the mirror. “Man.” She shifted the top of her costume a little. “I’m all for showing skin, but Jesus.” She was showing an incredible amount of cleavage. “I really hope I don’t have to fight in this.” She shook her head. “How the hell did she keep her tits in this thing, anyway?”

Willow and Tara both weren’t speaking. They simply stared at her open-mouthed.

“Ground control to Major Tom.” Faith said. “Well? How do I look?”

The costume Tara had created was a spitting image of the comics. Her hair was teased and perfect as Wonder Woman’s hair always seemed to be. Even the wide silver bracers looked spot on. Tara reached over and picked up the silver diadem with the large red star in the center. “Here. Put this on.”

Faith took it and stared at it. “I cannot believe I let you two talk me into this.” She leaned forward, letting her hair fall and slid the jewelry into place. She was careful to put it under her thick mane of dark waves. She then stood and adjusted it. “Okay.” She looked at the pair. “What do you think?”

“I think you look incredible,” Willow said, happily. “Tonight is gonna be so fun.”

“I think you look like a true modern day Wonder Woman.” Tara offered. “I like the idea of Diana having a little bit of skin art.” She pointed to Faith’s tattoo.

“Mommy Hippolyta would most likely not approve.” Faith said.

“Most mothers don’t,” Willow said. “I suppose Tara and I should get our costumes on, too.”

Faith moved over to the bed and sat down. “This should be fun.”

The pair sighed and did their thing. Willow donned a skin-tight green body stocking with a gold firebird on the chest. She had a gold sash tied about her waist and knee high gold boots. She was a spitting image of Marvel Comics’ Phoenix. “Way to go, Red.” Faith offered, nodding her approval. “Showin’ off the goodies without being slutty.”

“I just hope I don’t get a pimple.” The girl said, running her hands along her outfit. She moved over and sat down beside Faith. “Wait until you see Tara. Gonna blow your mind.” She took the slayer’s hand.

Tara slowly opened the bathroom door. “I’m not sure about this. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but…” She stepped out into the room. The black bathing suit style leotard sported a large gold lightning bold on the front. The sash tied around her waist was a deep red and she wore black bicep length gloves and black thigh high boots.

Faith nodded. “Miss Marvel. I dig it. Besides that, what are you bitchin’ about? You’re showing less skin than I am.”

“But this is a bit…” She adjusted her costume. “Tight.”

“Looks good on you.” Faith said, standing up. She turned Tara around and patted her rear. “Makes your butt look good, too.”

“She’s right, it does,” Willow said. “I think we’re ready.”

The girls quickly made their way down to the Jeep and climbed in. Faith shifted in her seat. “I’m getting a Wonder wedgie.” She said. “That’s it. Next year I’m dressing up as like, Painkiller Jane or something.”

Willow, from the passenger seat, looked at her. “What does she wear?”

“Jean and a t-shirt.” Faith said.

“My,” Tara said. “How original.”

“At least she doesn’t spend half her time pulling her Wonder undies out of her crack.” The slayer offered.

“You own a thong,” Willow said, somewhat surprised. “I figured you’d be used to it.”

“Thongs sit where they’re supposed to. This kind of doesn’t.”

“Wah,” Willow said. “It makes you look good. Deal with it.”

Faith sighed and nodded. “It’s just one night.” She said softly to herself. The group arrived at the Magic Box to see it in full swing.

Xander moved about, dressed as a ridiculous looking pirate. Anya was wearing a red babydoll t-shirt, a pair of red and white striped short shorts and roller skates. “Damn.” Faith said. “Is it just me or does demon look really good in that? Didn’t know she was sporting those legs.”

Both Willow and Tara nodded. “She is actually pretty,” Tara said. “Time to go and see where the General wants us posted.”

Tara and Willow immediately got dispatched to magical texts.

Giles looked Faith’s costume up and down and sighed. “I thought we talked about this.”

“I’m Wonder Woman, so sue me.” Faith said. “I know it’s a bit risqué, but look around. Kids are just starin’. The parents don’t seem to care too much.”

Giles had to concede that. None of the adults seemed to be too worried about it. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Besides that. I ain’t wearing anything near as bad as what they’d see at the mall on any given Saturday.” She took the heavy box he indicated and moved toward the basement.

She walked past the table, listening to Dawn talking to Anya. The teen was clad in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She had been dead set against dressing up. Faith envied the girl. “So what are you supposed to be?” She asked Anya.

“An angel.” Anya offered back with a smile.

Faith had to stop and looked her over again. “An angel?” She said to herself.

Dawn simply shrugged. “Oh. Shouldn’t you have wings?”

Anya shook her head. “Oh no, this is a special kind of angel called a Charlie. We don’t have wings. We just skate around with perfect hair fighting crime. Where’s your costume?” She asked moving away.

Faith chuckled. “Charlie’s Angel. That’s actually clever.”

Dawn followed her. “Like I’m six years old? Halloween’s so lame.”

Anya looked somewhat disappointed. “But you get to dress up, and play games! Xander’s gonna teach me a new one after work called Shiver Me Timbers. Ever play?”

Faith quickly moved over to stop the conversation, but Tara was there in the nick of time. “Uh, Dawn? Willow could use some help in magical texts.”

The teen nodded. “I’m all over it.” She said, quickly moving toward Willow.

Anya looked at Tara. “How ‘bout you, ever play Shiver Me Timbers?”

Tara shook her head. “I’m not really much for the timber.”

Faith laughed and moved on. It was definitely going to be an interesting night. “Faith?” Anya said, skating up to her. “We’re running low on mandrake root. Check the basement.” She shot out before skating off.

Faith nodded. “Don’t blame me if we have this conversation over and over…” She began descending the basement stairs. “…and over…and over, and over.” She hit the bottom and turned to the shelves to see Spike emerge from beneath the steps. “Oh! What’s up, bleach?” She asked, moving to set the box down. “You should really look into getting a bell around your neck.”

Spike grinned. “Come with a nice leather collar, does it?”

“Maybe get you one with little spikes on it?” She asked.

“As long as you’re dressed in that you can do whatever you want to me,” Spike said, raking his eyes over her. “That’s a good look on you, slayer.”

“Yeah, yeah. Get your fill horn dog. What are you doing lurking around down here, anyway?”

“Came through the tunnels.” He held up a handful of vines. “Running low on burba weed. Stir it in with the blood. Makes it all hot ‘n spicy.”

“Sounds kinda gross. But hey, whatever tickles your tastebuds.” Faith said to him.

“What? I was gonna pay for it.” He said, defensively.

Faith gave him a skeptical look. “Uh huh.”

“I mean, no. I was gonna nick it, ‘cause that’s what I do.” He sighed. “I go where I please and I take what I want, and what’s your excuse anyway?” He nodded toward the upstairs. “Didn’t picture you for the customer disservice.”

“I hear you. One-time deal to help out. And I mean straight time. No loop-de-loop mummy hand repeat-o-vision.” She said. “Don’t worry about the burba weed. I got it. Least I can do.” She looked around and sighed. “Where’s the mandrake root?”

Spike looked around and moved toward a shelf covered with jars. “Um…here.” He pulled down a jar and handed it to her. “Only three to a jar. Tend to…go a bit wonky if you cram them too close.”

She took it and nodded. “Thanks.” She said.

“Feel like a bit of the rough and tumble?” Spike asked, looking at her with a smirk.

“What?” She asked, looking around. “Here?”

“Me…you.” He said, softly.

“Um, I’m kinda taken now.”

“For patrolling?” He asked.

“Oh.” She said. “Can’t. Promised Tweed I’d help out. Not that I don’t see the appeal, because believe me. That’s way better than this. I’ll hook up with you tomorrow. We’ll raise a little hell.”

“Sounds like a plan. It’s not like I don’t already have plans.  _Great Pumpkin_ ’s on in twenty.” He said, turning away.

“Oh, you suck!” Faith snapped at him. “Later, Spike.”

He waved as he moved into the tunnels. She trotted upstairs and held the jar out as Anya shot past. The girl stopped and looked at Faith. “I didn’t know Wonder Woman had a tattoo.” She said, pointing to Faith’s arm.

“I’m the modern day Wonder Woman. She’s a bit a rebel.” Faith said. “You need anything else?”

“Giles needs help with bagging.” She said, pointing to the counter.

Faith walked across the store to get stopped by a little boy dressed as a fireman. “Are you really Wonder Woman?” He asked her.

Faith knelt and put a finger up to her lips. “Shhh. Don’t tell anyone. I need them to think I’m just in disguise.”

“If you were really Wonder Woman you’d be super strong.” He said, crossing his arms. “Are you?”

She took hold of the front of his shirt and lifted him from the floor like he weighed nothing. “What do you think?” She asked him.

“Wow!” He said, visibly impressed. She set him down. “I won’t tell anyone.” He said, happily.

“The Justice League thanks you.” She said, patting him on the hat. She then moved over and stepped behind the counter. “Need a little help here?”

Giles stood busily ringing up a customer at the cash register. A long line of other customers waited patiently. “What happened to Xander?”

Giles worked furiously. “He kept poking me with his hook. I sent him over to charmed objects. With any luck, he’ll poke the wrong one and end up in an alternative dimension inhabited by a 50-foot Giles that squishes annoying teeny pirates.”

Faith began bagging the items as he handed them to her.

“We’ve never been so busy.” He said, his voice sounding a little tired.

“Actually, Spike had a really good idea. You know, maybe I  _should_ patrol.” She said, quietly.

“Faith…you’ve been patrolling every night this week.” He handed her another item. She took it and bagged it, handing it to the customer with a smile. “Besides, it’s Halloween, it’s the one time of the year that supernatural threats give it a well-deserved rest. As should you.”

“Fair point.” Faith admitted. “But what about costumes that take over your personality? Or, wee little Irish fear demons?”

“Yes, well, if anything calamitous should happen, history suggests it’ll happen to one of us.” He said, handing the customer their change.

“See…you had to go and say some shit like that, didn’t you?” Faith asked. She bagged another item and handed it to the customer. “If anything does happen tonight, I am so blaming you.”

“Bag now, blame later,” Giles said, stressed out. Faith chuckled and went at it. The night flew by as the group did everything they could to make the night a success. Willow and Tara dazzled the little kids with small displays of magic.

Overall, everything went perfectly. As the last customers left, Dawn was there to hold the door for them. “Come again.” She said, laughing weakly. She closed the door and leaned against it with a grimace. “Uhh! In a zillion years.”

Xander was lying on his back, exhausted. “Store go boom.” He waved his hook about weakly. “Arr.”

Everyone mirrored his fatigue. Faith and Giles sat on the steps. Willow and Tara rested in a chair and on the edge of a table respectively. Anya happily counted the money behind the counter. “That was the most incredible thing I have ever experienced.”

Xander lifted his head and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Anya smiled sheepishly. “Well, except for  _that_.” If the group noticed the exchange, they didn’t show it. Dawn walked across the room to join Anya behind the counter. “What you all did for me tonight…the astounding heaps of money you helped me…”Xander and Giles cleared their throats, simultaneously. “ _Us_ acquire. All I can say is, I hope we make as much tomorrow.”

Faith looked at her. “Tomorrow?” She asked.

Anya nodded. “Post-holiday clearance.” She said smiling. “The cornerstone of retail.” Everyone groaned. Giles rose to his feet, with a grimace.

Faith shook her head. “Can’t. Gotta patrol tomorrow night.”

“You can take a night off,” Anya said, sadly. “You’ll be helping me make money.”

“Yeah. And I’m gonna do that by making sure that demons and vampires don’t eat your customers.” She moved over and pulled a small bit of cash out of her cleavage. “Here.” She counted out forty bucks. “Spike grabbed some burba weed from the basement.”

Anya rang it up and handed Faith back a ten dollar bill. “I’ll give it to you for cost.”

“Thanks.” Faith said, taking the cash and tucking it away.

“Right,” Giles said, grabbing the broom and dustpan. “Brooms all around, then.”

“Or I could whip up a jaunty self-cleaning incantation.” Willow said. “It’ll be like  _Fantasia_.”

“And we all know how splendidly that turned out for Mickey,” Giles said, handing her the items.

“I think I’m a little more adept than a cartoon mouse,” Willow added sadly.

“And you have more fingers, which is good, ‘cause there’s no need to wear those big white gloves to overcompensate.”

Faith looked at Xander. “You know, if you had a real peg leg, you wouldn’t just have a lame costume, you’d actually  _be_  lame. Huge difference.”

Anya and Dawn stood behind the counter, doing a little dance. Dawn grinned. “You do this every night?”

“Every time I close out the cash register. The dance of capitalist superiority.” Dawn mimicked her movements.

Xander continued to watch the pair. “I’m gonna marry that girl.”

Faith raised her eyebrow and smiled. She decided to have a little fun with him. “Dude. She’s fifteen. And she’s Buffy’s little sister. Don’t even go there.”

He looked at her with a somewhat disgusted look on his face. “You’re sick.”

“Yeah, I know.” She said. “Go for it.”

Xander rose to his feet. “Hey, everybody. Can I, um…uh…there’s something Anya and I…wanna tell you.” He walked over to the counter.

Anya moved out to his side, holding a stack of bills. “Now?” She asked, quietly.

He nodded. “Now.” He put his arm around her shoulders and turned to the rest of the gang. “We’re getting married.” He said, his voice brimming with happiness. The smile on Anya’s face was electric.

Dawn’s own grin grew wider. “Oh my god.”

“Congratulations.” Tara offered happily.

Willow stared disbelieving. “That…that’s… wow.”

Xander nodded. “It’s a big wow.”

Faith gave a small smirk. Giles furrowed his brow, looking on strangely. Anya turned to Xander. “I…I thought you were waiting for the right moment.”

He looked down at her fondly. “I did.” He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. Dawn watched the pair intently. Anya giggled as they broke apart. “Here.” She said, tossing the cash to Dawn. “Have some money!” She turned back to Xander and resumed kissing him.

Dawn chuckled and gathered the cash, stacking it on the counter.

Faith leaned over to Giles. “Seem a little shocked, there Tweed. You didn’t know about this?”

He shook his head. “No.” He turned to regard her. “Unless I blocked it from my memory.” He glanced back at the kissing couple. “Much as I will Xander’s vigorous use of his tongue.” He removed his glasses and began to cleaning them.

Faith watched him and raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you’re always cleaning your glasses? So you don’t have to see what we’re doing?”

He put his glasses back on and looked at her stoically. “Tell no one.”

Faith shook her head and looked at the couple. “Giles, this is…we’ve gotta do something.”

The group quickly closed up the Magic Box and adjourned to the Summers house for a close-knit get-together.

Anya held her hand out to show Dawn her ring. “And he said he couldn’t imagine the rest of his life without me, and then he gave me this!”

Dawn held her hand, looking at the ring. “Which I’ll be paying for the rest of my life.”Xander added.

The teen grinned widely. “Can I try it on?”

Anya returned her happy expression. “Oh, absolutely not.” The younger girl sighed but wasn’t surprised.

Giles and Faith came out of the kitchen carrying a tray loaded with red solo cups. “Where I come from, this sort of thing requires much in the way of libation.”

Xander took one and held it high. “God save the queen!” He said, before taking a large pull.

Faith held her own cup and handed one to Dawn. “You get a Coke, straight up.”

Dawn giggled. “That’s my poison.” She said, taking a sip.

Faith smiled and looked at the pair. “Sorry, we couldn’t do the big fancy. You kinda caught us with our parties down.”

Anya shook her head. “Oh, that’s okay. This is just the first premarital celebration. There’ll be lots more. With gifts.”

Faith hugged her. “God, I like you.” Anya returned her embrace.

Tara and Willow appeared from the kitchen carrying big bowls of snacks. Of which Xander and Faith immediately availed themselves of. Tara nodded at Anya. “Sure, maybe we’ll even have time to decorate for the next one.”

Willow looked at her and smiled. “Why wait? KasaritateTahmli.” A shimmer slowly moved around the room. As it passed, the area was suddenly decorated with beautiful paper lanterns and streamers. Dawn laughed with pleasure. Faith, Xander, and Anya looked about in awe.

“Way to go, Red.” Faith said, nodding. She turned to see Tara looking unhappy. She furrowed her brow.

“This is so much better than the way it usually looks. Thank you.” Anya said, hugging the girl tightly.

Faith turned to Giles to see him sharing the disapproving look with the blonde Wiccan. Tara sat the bowl down and went into the kitchen. Willow followed her. Faith moved to the door and stopped to listen to the pair.

The redhead stood at the counter, pouring potato chips into a large bowl.

Tara sat on the stool at the island. “The grocery store’s still open, we…could’ve bought decorations there.” Tara said, giving a nervous laugh.

Willow shrugged. “Why bother? These are perfect. And extra biodegradable-y. In a couple of hours, poof!” She set the chips on the island and poured herself a cup of soda.

“No, they’re, they’re great, it’s just…why use magic when you can do something naturally?”

Willow smiled. “Well, you can fight monsters naturally, with sticks and stones. Don’t recommend it, though.” She took a sip of soda.

Faith stifled a snicker. She had to admit, that was funny.

“It’s different.” Tara said, fiddling with her hands.

Willow furrowed her brow. “How?”

“Becau…” Tara sighed heavily. “Because you’re protecting people. Keeping them from being hurt.”

“Which makes them happy. Like pretty decorations made Anya happy.” Willow offered.

Tara sighed again. “That’s not the point, Will.”

The redhead furrowed her brow and shook her head. “Why are you being like this?”

Tara looked her in the eyes. “This isn’t about me!”

Willow was getting upset. “This is so about you. You’re always coming down on me for, for doing magic that couldn’t harm a fly. What’s your problem?”

“Willow, I j-just wish that you would stop and think about what you’re…” The girls stopped when Faith, who decided she’d have enough of this debate, moved into the room.

“Tara? Are you tired?” Faith asked.

The girl shrugged. “Yeah, a little.”

“Red? What about you?” The redhead nodded. “Hand me your wallet.” Faith said to Tara. The blonde did so without question. Faith took it and dropped it on the counter. “Willow, hand me yours.” Willow, much like her and Tara, kept her wallet in her back pocket. She took it and likewise handed it to the slayer. Faith opened them both and sat down the cash she found in them. A total of forty seven dollars. She took her own wallet out and counted a hundred and ten. “Between the three of us, we have a hundred and fifty seven dollars. To not make the place look like it was decorated by a kindergarten class, we’d have to at least spend this.” Faith said, looking at the pair. “And it would have taken hours to get done, and hours to clean up. Now I don’t know about you…” She looked at Tara. “But I’m not exactly loaded with free time as it is and it’s not like I’m exactly rolling in cash all the damn time. A lot of what I make pays the bills.” She held up her hand. “I know, it’s my choice. But the fact remains, that any little bit we can save, we should. If that means throwing a little sorcery around to keep a little cash in our pockets for a rainy day, then why not do it?”

Tara shrugged. “I guess.” She said, dejected.

“Look, Tara.” Faith moved up to her. “This isn’t just about Red using magic so much. There has to be something else to make you feel this way. What is it?”

“I-It’s just…magic should be used sparingly. It shouldn’t be the answer to everything.” She looked at Willow. “That’s all I’m trying to get across to you.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “I don’t use it for everything.” She snapped. “Why do you…”

“Red? Calm down. You’re pissed and you’re defensive. No one’s mad at you. You did a good thing here tonight. You made Anya and Xander happy, you saved us a ton of work and you saved us a hell of a lot of money.” She took the cash and stuffed it back into the girl’s wallet. “Go out and have drink with your friends. T-bear and I are gonna talk. Then we can have a chat, okay?”

Willow sighed and stared at Tara. “Okay.” She said, taking her soda and the chips out into the living room.

Tara leaned her head down and began to softly cry.

“T-bear? Look at me.”

The girl lifted her head and stared into Faith’s eyes. “I’m just worried about her.”

“You think she should only use her magic to save people? To keep people from getting hurt?” Faith asked.

Tara nodded. “Otherwise, she’ll come to rely on it in daily life. She’ll start using it more and more until she can’t function without it.”

Faith nodded. “That’s valid.” She gave Tara a moment. “What about me?”

“What…?” The blonde was confused. “What about you?”

“My slayer strength. I use it in my everyday life. I lift things at work that no one else can. I move things around that they used to have to use heavy equipment to lug. Should I stop doing that?”

“Well no, but there’s a difference.” Tara said. “Your slayer strength is a part of you. It’s not something you can just…choose not to use. It isn’t something you have to practice at. You can not use magic and just do things the right way.”

Faith had to concede that. “Okay, fair enough. I’ll give you that one.” She sighed. “Let’s say I find someone along the road that needs help with their car. They have Triple A and insurance, so it’s no real detriment to them if they’re rig doesn’t get fixed. Just costs a little cash and a little time. It’ll pretty much do nothing but make their day a little better.” She smiled. “Should I just go on by because they don’t really  _need_  my help, or should I stop because it’s the right thing to do?”

Tara bit her lip and peered deeply into Faith’s eyes. She broke down the comparison. It made sense. Faith’s automotive acumen, much like Willow’s magic, was a practiced and honed skill. She could choose to use it or not. In the context she chose, Faith, if she indeed chose to stop, would do little more than make the stranded motorist happy. No harm, no foul. The spell Willow chose to use, was indeed harmless. Most of the redhead’s spells seemed to follow the same pattern. She was merely trying to make things a little easier. “I suppose you’re right.”

“So why the fear of magic?” Faith asked her. “You get right down to it, Willow doesn’t really use it all that often.”

Tara did have to admit that. “It just…” She gave herself a moment. “Her first response to everything is magic.”

“Is it?” Faith asked. “Everything?”

“No. Not everything.” Tara corrected. “But you heard her tonight. She wanted to do a cleaning spell at the shop.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” Faith said. “Save everyone some time and energy. I for one would have appreciated it.”

“But magic shouldn’t be used like that.” Tara said, earnestly. “It isn’t the answer to all of life’s obstacles.”

“No, it isn’t. But if it can get the job done and not have any fallout, where’s the harm? Should I just say screw it and quit my job because I’m doing things that are normally reserved for front loaders and pallet jacks?” Faith shook her head. “No. Is a nineteen year old girl the right tool for the job? No, I’m not. But I’m getting it done and I’m saving time and money doing it.” She took Tara’s hands. “I get that you’re nervous about Red doing what she’s doing. But just take the time to understand how she feels. Magic is something she’s  _good_  at. It’s only natural she wants the chance to use it. Instead of crucifying her for it, help her. She likes the power it gives her. Telling her to stop using magic would be like telling me to not go slaying. It’s a part of who I am, now. Just like magic is a part of who she is.”

“I just worry.” Tara said, softly.

“Yeah, I know you do.” Faith said. “You wouldn’t love her if you didn’t. Just go easy on her. She’s only ever used magic to help. You have to admit that. She’s never done it  _just_  to do it. It’s always to make someone happy or to make things just a little easier. There’s no harm in that, Tara. There never will be. Just be there to help her if she stumbles.”

Tara sighed and stood, looking into the slayer’s chocolate brown orbs. “You know how you say you’re only good at two things?” With Faith’s nod, Tara pulled her in and kissed her. “That’s not true. I can think of one other thing you’re good at.” She smiled and moved out into the living room.

A moment later, Willow walked in looking a little confused. “Tara seemed to be a better mood.”

“Yeah. Just had to explain some things to her.” Faith motioned to the stool. “Have a seat, Red.” She moved over to the fridge and grabbed a jar of pickles. She tightened the lid a little and took it to the island, setting it down. “Open that.”

Willow shrugged and lifted it and tried to twist the cap off. She made several attempts and sighed. “Aperio.” She said. The lid suddenly came free in a quick spin. She set the jar down and looked at Faith. “Okay, now what?”

Faith nodded and took the lid and again secured it. “Now do it without magic.”

Willow sighed and tried, but couldn’t get it open. “I can’t.”

“That’s right, you couldn’t.” Faith said. “But did I once say you couldn’t ask for help?”

Willow thought a moment and shook her head. “No, I guess you didn’t. But what does that…”

“That’s exactly what Tara’s afraid of. What you just did. You gave a token try to open that jar and as soon as you saw it was going to be a little difficult, you immediately resulted to magic. You completely blanked your mind of other alternatives.”

“So I have the magic, but I shouldn’t use it?” Willow said, snidely.

“Didn’t say that. I’m not sayin’ that at all. What I’m telling you is what T-bears afraid of. Anything that’s even remotely a challenge and you pull out the magic. I tried comparing that to slayer strength, but T-bear shot me down, and rightly so. My strength isn’t something I can choose not to use. Your magic is. It’s an ability you have to concentrate to employ. The problem you have is that you employ it too quickly.”

“So I use a spell once in a while. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“No you don’t.” Faith said. “And that’s the problem. The idea of a cleaning spell in the store? Golden. Would have loved that. But it was shot down by Tweed. The decorations? Excellent. You made everyone’s day and no harm was done. But what you did here was unnecessary. You could have asked any number of people for help and you didn’t. You immediately fell back on the magic. You see what I’m getting at?”

“I should stop using magic and let everyone do everything for me?” Willow asked.

“Are you being this difficult on purpose?” Faith asked. “I mean…I remember you in high school, Red. You were never this obstinate. Now you’re just…is it deliberate?”

“I’m not trying to be difficult, Faith. I just truly don’t see what the problem is. If I have the ability to use magic, why shouldn’t I?”

“Because just having something, isn’t a good enough reason to use it. If you were home alone and had no one to help you, yeah. Bust a spell out to open your pickles. I’ll give you the decorations. That was just genius. It saved time, effort and money. Win, win, win. Now, to be completely honest, I haven’t seen anything that tells me you use magic for everything. The jar thing was just a test, but it made a point. Having magic, to me is like having the slayer strength. It’s a part of you. It makes you who you are. But like my slayer strength, I have to be careful. I have to take constant care when I hug someone not to break ribs. When I shake hands, I have to be careful not the crush someone’s hand. Or smash a glass, rip a door knob off…you get the idea. Magic is the same way. You have to be careful when you use it. Take an extra few seconds and think. Will my using this spell upset my girlfriend? If it will, don’t do it. Talk it over with her. T-bear probably would have been on board with the decoration thing if you’d have just had a quick pow-wow about it.”

Willow digested everything Faith was saying. She was upset at being admonished, but she calmed herself down and listened. “So…” She said, taking a deep breath. “Like when we were in bed together last night. The light bulb thing?”

“That’s actually a really good example. Just using spells willy-nilly for you can be dangerous. Tara’s got a hell of a lot of knowledge under her belt, but she doesn’t seem to be extremely powerful. You’re like…the flipside of that. You’ve got mad power, but you don’t seem to have the knowledge and control. Now, yeah, it can be argued that practice makes perfect, and you’re right, it does. But practice doesn’t come with just throwing spells out and seeing what sticks. Just like learning to fight doesn’t come with just walking around punching people. You have to train yourself up, first. Having all the martial arts skill in the world won’t help you if you can’t hit someone hard enough to hurt ‘em. So you have to train your body as well as your mind. Otherwise it’s a wasted exercise. Same thing with magic.” She took Willow’s hands. “Right here, you’ve got all the power in the world.” She then tapped Willow’s head. “But you’ve never been taught how to properly use it. You don’t know where the power comes from and why. Tara wants to teach you that. She just wants you to lay off a little  _until_  you get that understanding. She thinks you’re being too impatient. Whether you are or not doesn’t matter. It’s what she thinks. Sometimes, you have to make that sacrifice for the people you love. If she wants you to ease up on using the magic, do it for her.”

Willow looked into Faith’s eyes. She turned to see Tara standing at the entrance to the kitchen. She had unshed tears in hers. Willow held her hand out to the girl. Tara moved closer, gently taking the girl’s hand. “I’m sorry.” Willow said, sadly. “I just like being able to finally be good at something.”

“It’s okay.” Tara said. “Ever since I was little, I’ve been somewhat afraid of the magic I could do.”

“I heard about what kind of bullshit your family pulled.” Faith said. “Be glad I wasn’t here to get in on that.”

Tara snickered. “My family would have gone home in wheelchairs.”

Willow nodded. “They almost did. Buffy really stepped up.”

“All of you did.” Tara said. “I was so happy.”

Faith looked at the pair. “So are we good?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Tara said. “We’re good.”

“I’ll try to use a bit less magic. But I still think the decorations were a good idea.”

Tara sighed and nodded. “They were. I just…I have to get over the fact that magic isn’t a bad thing. And you were right. Certain spells can be used without causing an apocalypse.”

“See, those kinds of spells I actively avoid.” Willow said, smiling.

“Glad to hear it.” Faith said, nodding.

 


	16. Chapter 16

 

Faith, Tara, and Willow all made their way back into the living room to mingle. Faith pulled Xander in and hugged him. “I can’t believe it, big man.  _You._ Getting married.”

Xander smiled. “Me. Choking.” He said, hoarsely.

“Oh, sorry.” Faith said, letting him go. “I just…can’t believe it. Seems like only yesterday you had to pay a girl to date you.”

He laughed nervously. “Like I’d ever pay…define  _date_.”

Faith grinned at him and moved closer, pulling him down to whisper in his ear. “I’m just glad that no matter how many times she screams your name and you scream hers, that I got to hear you scream mine first.” She leaned back and looked at him.

He gave another nervous chuckle but said nothing.

“I don’t really think  _she’d_  mind, Willow,” Dawn said, her voice somewhat mopey.

“That isn’t the point, Dawnie.” The red head said.

Faith looked over at them. “What are you two talkin’ about?”

“Getting a tattoo,” Dawn said. “Just a little one.”

Faith shrugged. “Depends on what you want and where you wanna get it.”

Willow and Tara both looked at her incredulously. The slayer returned their look. “What’s the big deal? I’ve got one.” She said, pointing. “Besides that. Skin art isn’t the stigma it used to be. With shows like Miami Ink, LA Ink and Ink Master, tattoos have kind of become main stream. True, they used to be all counter-culture and stuff, but now you have college graduate CEO’s and soccer moms with skin art.”

“But let’s be honest.” Giles piped in. “Dawn, you’re fifteen years old. A tattoo is a permanent fixture that will be on your body until you pass away. It’s not a decision to be made lightly.”

“Tweed? I was fifteen when I got this.” She said. “It’s not that big a deal. And when she feels how bad it hurts to get one, she’ll never want another one, trust me.”

Dawn looked at her. “Does it really hurt that bad?”

“This one wasn’t too bad. I’m told when you get them on the fattier parts of the body, it’s not terrible. But over joints and shit?” She shook her head. “Hurts like hell.”

“I was just thinking about one on the arm. Kinda like where you have yours.” Dawn said.

“You gave any thought to what you’d get?” Faith asked her.

“Not really. I just thought it would be cool.”

“Well, tell you what. You keep your grades up, be good and when you turn sixteen, Red, T-bear and I’ll sit with you and discuss it, okay?”

Dawn giggled and hugged her. “Thank you. You’re so cool.” Dawn turned to see Anya coming into the room. “Congratulations. You’re very lucky, finding a guy like him.”

Xander sighed. “Not as lucky as me.” He kissed her on the cheek.

“So I’ll see you guys tomorrow?” Dawn said, heading for the door.

“Whoa!” Faith took Dawn’s arm. “Tomorrow?”

Dawn nodded. “Yeah. I’m sleeping over at Janice’s, remember?”

Faith shook her head. “I didn’t know you were goin’ anywhere.”

“W-we said she could,” Tara said, softly. “I s-suppose we should have asked you first.”

Willow raised her eyebrows. “That’s tonight?”

Dawn looked at the redhead. “No. It’s on the other Halloween.” Dawn frowned. “Come on. You said I could.”

“Uh…” Willow glanced and Faith. “Well…I know we did, it’s just, you know, now with Xander’s party, I…”

Xander waved a dismissive hand. “Ah, we’re good. But you have to get us some extra gifts for our reception.”

Anya nodded. “Yes, please.”

Faith let Dawn go and made her way into the kitchen.

Willow continued to flounder. “I…I don’t know. Giles?”

Giles stood with a pair of snack covered plates in his hands. “Uh, it’s really not up to me.”

Dawn whined. “Come on. It’s four blocks away. I’ll walk straight over. Not like I’m gonna be roaming the streets.” She stared into Willow’s eyes. “Please?”

Faith lifted the phone and dialed the number to Janice’s house. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust the younger Summers sister, it’s just that she was fifteen once not that long ago.

“Hello?” A woman’s voice answered.

“Hi. My name’s Faith. I’m a…a friend of Buffy’s.”

“Oh, yes. Dawn’s told me a lot about you. She says you live there with them to help out.”

“Yeah. I’m kinda lookin’ after Dawn while Buffy’s at work.”

“That’s wonderful. It’s nice to see a girl your age showing such compassion.”

“Thanks, Mrs. P. I’m just trying to make sure if you wanted Dawn to bring anything with her tonight.”

“Excuse me?” Mrs. Penshaw asked, confused. “I thought Janice was going to be staying over there tonight?”

Faith smiled, suddenly getting the ploy. “That’s right. She was. Dawn was saying something about wanting to sleep over there and I only caught the tail end of the conversation. Sorry about that.”

“It’s alright. You had me worried for a moment.”

“It’s cool. I’ll talk to you later.” Faith said, ending the call. She moved out into the living room. “Hey, D?”

Dawn was just about to the door when she stopped and turned to Faith. “What? It’s getting late.”

“Yeah, I know. Just need a couple seconds upstairs with you. Won’t take long.” The slayer moved over and began climbing the stairs. Dawn sighed and followed along nervously.

She entered Faith’s room to see the girl rifling through a small chest of various slaying gear. “What’s up?”

“Close the door.” Faith said, pulling out a few items. As the door latched she stood with a stake, a small bottle of holy water and a blue felt covered box. “Why’d you lie, kiddo?” She wasn’t angry at the teen. She knew that sometimes this was a thing that could happen. She’d noticed Dawns nervousness over the course of the evening and wondered what it was all about. Now she knew.

Dawn shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Faith chuckled. She dropped the stake and bottle on to the bed and opened the felt box, pulling out a silver cross on a nice chain. She sat the box on the dresser and moved behind Dawn. “Lift your hair.” The teen did as she was asked. “You forget that I ain’t but four years older than you, squirt. And unlike Red and T-bear I wasn’t the perfect little angel they were as kids. The whole ‘tell your mom you’re staying at my place and I’ll tell mine I’m staying at yours’ gag? That’s been done to death.” Faith secured the necklace and moved back around in front of the girl. “You gotta be more original than that.”

“How did you…?” Dawn asked, surprised.

“Because I called Janice’s house to make sure.” Faith said.

Dawn suddenly got angry. “So you don’t trust me?” She snapped.

“You’re a fifteen year old girl with what amounts to no real adult supervision.” Faith said. “Hell no, I don’t trust you. But don’t get me wrong. It isn’t because you’re an untrustworthy person. It’s because you’re fifteen and you’re largely at a pretty tumultuous time in your life. Tonight’s a perfect example. Chances are you were gonna go and hang somewhere you weren’t supposed to be and do shit you weren’t supposed to do.” She shook her head. “I’m not knockin’ it. I did a lot of that as a kid.” She grabbed the stake and the small bottle. “Put these in your pockets.”

“Why? It’s not like I’m goin’ anywhere.” Dawn said, sadly.

“You see me preppin' ya for a night on the town, don’t you?” Faith said. “Now take ‘em. If I didn’t want you goin’ anywhere, I’d be ballin’ you out with Red and T-bear, now wouldn’t I?”

“So you’re gonna let me go?” Dawn asked, taking the items and putting them in her jacket.

“No.” Faith said. “I’m goin’ with you.”

“What do you mean?” Dawn asked.

“I’m gonna walk you to wherever your goin’, meet who you’re gonna meet and get a feel for what you’re gonna do.” Faith grabbed her own jacket and slid it on. It already had two stakes and a large knife tucked away.

“I suppose that would be okay,” Dawn said. “You’re actually kinda cool.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Faith said. “But I’m letting it out in the open now, squirt. This is the only freebie you get. You wanna go and be a delinquent, fine. But don’t lie about it.” Faith moved over and dug into Dawn’s pocket and pulled out the coin. “And stop stealin’ shit. Especially from the Magic Box.” She said, holding up the gold dragon coin. “This is dragon gold. Anyone who spends it gets cursed with a wasting sickness. Basically, you start rotting from the inside out.”

“Eww, gross,” Dawn said, moving away from it. “I didn’t know that.”

“That’s why you don’t steal shit from a magic shop. Especially if you don’t know what it does.”

“What would someone want that for?” Dawn asked.

“It also has differing magical effects when it’s immersed in certain potions. It can act as an ingredient substitute.” Faith said. “That’s why it’s got a sixty eight dollar price tag.” She put it in her drawer. “And just so you know, I’ve been goin’ into your room and takin’ the shit you’ve been snagging from the shop and returning it.” She looked Dawn in the eye. “I know I ain’t your mom and I know I ain’t got the right to tell you what to do, but I can’t imagine your mom bein’ too happy with havin’ a thief for a daughter.”

Dawn had the good nature to look sheepish. “I’m sorry.” She said, sadly.

“Done is done.” Faith said. “But cut it the fuck out.”

Dawn nodded. “I’ll stop.”

Faith took her shoulders and smiled at her. “See? Now  _that_ , I do trust. Come on. Let’s go have a little Halloween fun.”

Dawn nodded and smile. “Mmhmm.” The pair made their way down the stairs. “Faith is gonna walk with me.”

Willow and Tara both issued a sigh of relief. “Th-that’s good. Have a good night.” Tara leaned in and kissed Faith. “Be careful.”

“I will.” The slayer said. She then pulled Willow in and kissed her as well. “I’ll be back a bit later. Gonna make sure there’s nothing out and about to terrorize. Just in case.”

“Fair enough,” Willow said, smiling. “Have fun.”

A few minutes later they met up with Janice. The girl immediately had a panicked look on her face. Faith grinned. “Don’t worry, I didn’t rat you out. According to me, you’re staying at our place. But like I said to little D here, this is the only freebie you get.”

Janice furrowed her brow and looked at Dawn. “Don’t worry. Faith’s cool. She just wants to make sure nothing happens to us. So where we meeting the boys at?”

Janice grinned. “The park. Where all the monsters gather on Halloween.” She said in a spooky voice.

Dawn smiled and moved up beside her. Faith fell in step behind them and kept her senses stretched out.

They reached the park soon after. Faith sighed as she heard the crappy music blaring from the radio. A tall brunette boy with a white t-shirt and a dark blue overshirt stood on a swing. A boy, of similar age sat with two others boys and a girl, dressed in a letterman’s jacket. He threw something at the boy on the swing, bouncing if off his skull.

“Nice shot,” Janice said, moving toward the boy on the swing.

Faith immediately reached out and grabbed Dawn. “I don’t think so, little D.” She said, pulling a stake from her jacket.

“What…?” Dawn asked, confused. She didn’t have to wait long to understand Faith’s trepidation. The slayer was motion personified.

Faith shot forward, gripping Janice’ arm and pulling her away from the first boy. As the girl flew away, the slayer’s stake punctured his chest, dusting him. She spun, dipping into a sweep kick that dropped the boy with the letterman’s jacket to his back. She plunged the stake into his chest and he likewise disappeared in a hail of dust. She rose back to her feet and looked around, making sure there were no more surprises. The rest of the kids in the park screamed and ran. Faith turned to Janice and lifted her from the dirt. “You okay?”

“What the hell was that?” She asked, dusting herself off.

“Vampires,” Dawn said, her voice angry. She turned toward Janice, hands on her hips. “Did you know?”

The girl shook her head rapidly. “No. I swear I didn’t know. Zack just said he was gonna introduce you to a friend.” She looked at Faith. “How did you know?”

“It’s my job to know. Let’s go.” Faith said, leading the girls away from the park, keeping her eyes open.

Dawn and Janice fell in behind her. Janice leaned in and whispered into her ear. “What does she mean it’s her job to know?”

“You remember me telling you about my sister? How she was like, super strong and had these strange powers?” The girl nodded. She always thought Dawn was a little weird until she saw Buffy lift and carry the massive dresser Dawn kept in her room without breaking a sweat. She knew the old oak chest was heavy as could be. She and Dawn couldn’t even get it to scoot across the floor. “Faith is just like my sister.”

“Oh.” The girl said. “That explains it. Where are we going?” She asked Faith.

“Our place. You’ll go, check in with your mom and then I’ll take you two to the Bronze.” She turned and regarded the girls. “No reason your evening has to be a total loss.”

“Dawn’s right. You are cool.” Janice said, happily.

The group arrived at the Summers residence a few minutes later. “Just let me do the talking.” Faith said, before opening the door.

Giles sat on the sofa rubbing the bridge of his nose as Tara, Willow, Anya and Xander danced in the middle of the living room floor.

As they entered, everyone turned and looked on in surprise. “We thought you were staying at Janice’s house,” Willow said. “With…Janice.”

“Yeah, change of plans.” Faith said, happily. “Janice’s mom decided she wanted a quiet evening alone. I figured what the heck. I’ll play chaperone while you all get your party on.”

Janice and Dawn both smiled. Faith turned and looked at the girls. “Why don’t you go and check in with your mom?” The teen trotted into the kitchen with Dawn hot on her heels.

“Th-that’s sweet of you,” Tara said, hugging Faith. “I know you didn’t wanna have to give up your night.”

“I was actually gonna take the girls to the Bronze to let ‘em have some fun. You two wanna come with?”

“You can if you want,” Anya said. “Xander and I can go home and…”

“We…all know what you’d be doing,” Giles said, holding a hand up. “Don’t need the commentary to accompany the nightmares.” He added quietly.

She smiled and took his hand. “Let’s go.” She said, pulling him from the home. “Thank you for the party.” She said before leaving the home with a bewildered Xander behind her.

“Right. Well, I’m going to retire for the evening. You lot have a wonderful time.” Giles said, rising from his seat.

“Why don’t you come with us, Tweed? You’re a good lookin’ chap. I’m sure you could find some young co-ed to warm the sheets with you on a spooky Halloween.” Faith said.

Giles snickered and pulled her in for a hug. “As fun as that sounds, I’ll pass. But I do genuinely appreciate the invitation, Faith. Go, have fun. Take the evening off. You deserve it. Dance, be merry. Have a drink for me.”

“My first Vanilla Coke is gonna have your name written all over it.” Faith said, smiling at him. “I’ll see you after I pick squirt up tomorrow.”

“Very well. See you all later.” He left the house with a smile on his face.

“Man needs to get laid.” Faith said, softly. She turned to see Janice bouncing out of the kitchen. “We’re good. My mom is letting me take the day off school tomorrow because I was so responsible.”

Dawn looked at Willow, Tara, and Faith with pleading eyes.

The three of them looked at each other and sighed. “Fine,” Willow said. “But don’t make a habit of it.” The teen hugged all three girls happily.

“Come on, girls. Time to get our groove on.” Faith said, moving to the door. She took her spot behind the driver’s seat of the Jeep. Tara took shotgun with Willow, Dawn and Janice sitting in the back, ribbing each other good-naturedly. “Buckle up back there.” Faith said, fastening her own seatbelt.

They reached the club about ten minutes later. A sandwich board beside the door read ‘The Most Terrifying Experience of Your Life’ and had ‘Karaoke’ sprawled underneath.

“This could either be really fun or really painful.” Faith said, grimacing.

“Let’s give it a shot,” Willow said. “Could be fun.” As the group entered the club, they were all assaulted with a horrible rendition of  _Miracle Man_ by OzzyOsbourne. The boy singing it was slaughtering it horribly.

“Oh, god.” Faith said in disgust. “Somebody please shoot him.”

Willow looked at Tara, grinning. She then looked to Faith. “You think you can do better?”

“Than  _that_?” She pointed to the stage. “Yes. But then throwing an elephant into a combine would sound more pleasant.”

Willow smiled. “Prove it. We’ll watch from our customary table.”

“Christ.” Faith said, shaking her head. “Walked right into that one. Fine. What do you want me to sing?”

“Something really embarrassing,” Dawn said. “I wanna see you blush.”

Janice giggled. “Something dirty.”

Faith sighed. “Right.” She made her way up to the sound man while the girls all sat down and ordered drinks and food. She perused the songs available and found one that was just right. “They’re gonna shit themselves.” She said. “I want this one.”

The mixer nodded, grinning. “You got it.” He was looking forward to it.

After the young man got done butchering one of the prince of darkness’ best cuts, Faith sighed and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” She said climbing the steps to the stage.

She strode out and lifted the microphone and tapped her foot to establish a rhythm. She drew in a deep breath and began singing the A Capella intro to the song she chose in a deep gravelly voice. “I’m too sexy for my love, too sexy for my love. Love’s going to leave me.” The drums and bass soon picked up. She whipped her jacket off and tossed it across the stage as she began strutting around, giving the people of the club a hell of a show.  _I’m Too Sexy_  by Right Said Fred was both embarrassing as hell if you were the one singing it and if you’ve seen the video and read the lyrics, it was pretty damn raunchy.

The four girls laughed their asses off as Faith moved around on stage, making a complete fool of herself, but looking as though she enjoyed every minute of it. Tara leaned into Willow. “W-we should sing something. I think it would be fun.”

Willow looked at her with nervous eyes. “I have really bad stage fright. When I had to do the talent show a few years ago, I almost puked.”

“D-don’t worry. I’ll be up there with you.” Tara said, softly. “I mean…” She pointed to Faith. “Fair is fair.”

“Yeah, Willow,” Dawn said, happily. “I’m gonna sing.”

Janice looked at her. “You are?”

The teen nodded. “I like to sing. Buffy and my mom said I’m pretty good at it.”

“They’re your family. They’re supposed to say that.” Janice said, raising an eyebrow. “I know for a fact I can’t sing.”

“Too bad,” Dawn said. “You’re singin’.”

“I can’t…”

“Gonna happen.” The teen said, watching the slayer strut her stuff, shaking her ass as the lyrics called for it. “Get used to it.”

Janice groaned as she turned back to the stage to watch the slayer finish signing.

“And I’m too sexy for this song!” Faith said, dropping the mike to the floor. The patrons of the club laughed and cheered as she left the stage. She made her way back to the table after grabbing her jacket. “There. How was that?”

“D-Did you have fun, sweetie?” Tara asked.

“Kinda yeah.” Faith said. “It was pretty cool.” The next patron, a somewhat cute blonde girl, stepped up and chose  _Hit Me Baby One More Time_  by Brittney Spears. “Oh, Jesus.” Faith said, dropping onto the sofa beside her girls. “This is gonna be lame.”

The girl could sing, which was a plus, but the song itself was  _so_  not Faith’s cup of tea. Dawn went over, grabbed the song book and looked at it. Janice followed her and looked at the book over her shoulder. “I found mine,” Dawn said. “What about you?”

The other girl sifted through them and sighed. “I don’t know. I’m not much of a music person.”

“What about this one?” Dawn asked. “It’s pretty simple and it’s fun.”

Janice thought about it. “Okay. That’ll work.” She said, walking back to the table. “Good luck.”

“What did she decide on?” Faith asked.

“You’ll see,” Janice said, smirking. “You’re gonna laugh.”

As the Brittney clone left the stage, Dawn ran up the stairs and lifted the microphone. “Now that the little girls have gone to bed…” She said, into the mike, getting a laugh from the audience. “Let’s have some  _real_  fun.” She looked at the sound man and nodded. He hit the board and a solid rhythm guitar riff wafted out from the speakers throughout the club.

Faith raised her eyebrows and sat forward. “No way!” She watched the stage with a mix of anticipation and a small amount of fear.

“What song in this?” Willow asked. “It sounds familiar.”

Dawn raised the microphone and belted out the opening lyrics to  _If I Could Turn Back Time_.

Faith actually really liked the song. It was a guilty pleasure for sure but it was a track she dug. Granted, the music video had a lot to do with it… But she had to give it to Dawn. The Summers girl could sing. She had damn good range and did the Cher cut proud. “You go little D.” She shouted.

As the song ended Dawn thrust her hands in the air. “Wrap that around your neck and bite it!” She said, before tossing the mike back to the sound man. She loved being the center of attention and the applause she received was wonderful.

As she got to the table, Faith stood and hugged her. “That was awesome, kiddo.” She drew back. “Wrap that around your neck and bite it?”

Dawn lowered her eyes, looking sheepish. “It was the best I could come up with on short notice.”

“No worse than ‘that’ll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo’.” Willow said.

“Yeah, but she’s a robot. She has an excuse.” Dawn said.

Janice looked at the group and just shook her head.

After the performance Dawn just gave, there seemed to be very few takers. Tara looked to Willow. “Maybe we should go.” She said, rising to her feet. “I already know what to sing.”

“What did you decide on?” Faith asked. “Please be something good.”

“I like it.” She said, taking Willow’s hand. “Come on.”

The pair talked with the sound man and selected the track they wanted. It was a cut that they both really enjoyed. They nodded and took the stage, each holding a microphone. They stood, smiling at each other as the song began. Tara took the first verse, looking into Willow’s eyes.  _Loved By the Sun_  by Tangerine Dream was a good choice for the pair, in Faith’s opinion.

The crowd immediately got quiet as the shy blonde’s soft melodic voice rolled through the room, putting a whimsical pall over everyone. As they saw the display, there was absolutely no question in anyone’s minds that the two girls on stage were deeply and irrevocably in love.

Willow took over the second verse and gave it everything she had. And compared to Tara, she was flat as a board. But what she lacked in ability, she made up for in pure determination.

When they were finished, the gathered patrons still seemed in awe. Tara and Willow stepped off the stage and to the table. People were still staring at them for a few more seconds before exploding into applause.

“I-I’m surprised these people even recognized the s-song.” Tara said, sitting down.

Willow dropped down beside her and took a drink of her soda. “Me too.”

Faith shook her head. “You guys were awesome.”

“I was flat,” Willow said. “I don’t sing much.”

“Probably a reason for that.” Faith said. “But it wasn’t bad. Better than the other jamokes that come in here.”

“Alright. I’m gonna go and get this over with.” Janice said. “Get my embarrassment out of the way.” She got up and headed to the stage. “This is gonna suck.”

The sound man queued up her song and let her get behind the microphone. She sighed and nodded to him. He hit the button and Janice fired off the first few lines before the music started.  _Breathless_ by The Corrs, was as run of the mill as it got. But at least it was a track that Faith actually didn’t mind. Janice’s tone wasn’t bad and her range was pretty good. The crowd was into it and gave her a good amount of applause when she finished.

As the girl came back to the table, Faith immediately perked up. She furrowed her brow and began looking around.

“What is it?” Willow asked.

“There’s a vampire in here.” Faith rose to her feet. She turned to Tara when she heard the girl giggling. “What?”

“You’re right.” The blonde said, smiling. “There is a vampire in here. He’s getting onto the stage.”

Faith turned and saw Spike, clad in his black trench coat. It was suddenly incredibly obvious where Billy Idol got his look from. Spike curled his lip and began bobbing on the stage, pumping his fist as  _Dancing with Myself_ started to play. His cockneyed British brogue and his movements were spot on. The patrons were actually dancing as he belted his tune out.

Faith couldn’t help it and stood up, grabbing Tara and Willow’s hands. “We gotta dance.” The girls smiled and nodded, getting up and following the slayer out onto the floor.

Dawn watched Spike and just giggled. “He’s good.”

“He a professional Billy Idol impersonator?” Janice asked. “He even sounds like him.”

Dawn shook her head. “Not quite.” She didn’t go into details and Janice didn’t ask.

As soon as he was finished with  _Dancing with Myself_ he immediately busted into  _Rebel Yell_. The crowd went nuts.

Dawn got up and dragged Janice with her and began dancing extremely silkily. Janice was awestruck. “I didn’t know you could dance like this.” She said as Dawn moved up behind her.

“Never asked.” The younger Summers sister said. “You’re not bad either.”

Faith tapped her girls and pointed to the teens. “Check that out.” Tara and Willow had to do a double-take. “She looks good, I’m not gonna lie.”

Dawn looked at Faith and winked at her and went immediately back to dancing.

After Spike finished his tracks, he left the stage to a cacophony of ovation. He waved and smiled and started when he saw Faith, Willow, and Tara there to meet him. “Oh, hell. What brings you three here on bloody Karaoke night?”

Faith grinned widely. “Now? You.” She said. “That was awesome.”

He gave her a smirk. “Thanks, bint. You do any singin’?”

“I’m Too Sexy, Right said Fred.” Faith said. “They wanted me to do something embarrassing and dirty.”

“Yeah, that’ll do it.” He looked to the witches. “What about you two?”

“Loved by the Sun, Tangerine Dream,” Willow said, happily. “I was horrible. Tara was fantastic.”

“You weren’t that bad, Red.”

“Yeah, we get some bad voices in her most times,” Spike said. “I stop in; spit a couple tunes and leave. Just to get my fix.”

“You wanna hang out and have a drink with us? A plate of Chicken wings in it for you.” Faith said.

“Sure. Why not?” Spike said, nodding. He moved over to the table with them. “What’s up little bit?”

“Hey, Spike.” She said, happily.

“Who’s your friend?” He said. “She looks good enough to eat.”

“This is Janice. She’s a friend from school and no you can’t eat her.” Dawn said. “This is Spike. He’s a vampire. But he’s cool. He doesn’t try and eat us.”

Janice cowered away from him. “Oh, god.”

“Bad experience, I take it?” He asked, looking at Faith.

“Couple vamps tonight were trollin’ for young neck. I had to smoke ‘em both.”

“Bloody babies,” Spike growled in disgust. “Don’t they know you don’t go out on Halloween?”

Faith shook her head. “I’m guessing they didn’t get the memo.”

“Gives the rest of us hardworkin’ undead a bad name.” He said, flagging down a waitress. “You know…” He said, turning to Faith. “You should do another cut. Something by Pat Benatar or Joan Jett. You got the voice for it.”

Faith shrugged. “What do you guys say? One more?” Everyone at the table nodded. She groaned and rubbed her face in her hands. “Alright.”

She rose and went back to the stage, going over what she wanted to sing. She took the microphone and climbed up as the song began to play. The lilting guitar filled the club. Faith lifted the mike to her lips and offered her rough gravelly voice to the lyrics of  _Hell is for Children_  by Pat Benatar. She actually loved the song, but with her, it always struck a painful nerve. Given her life when she was younger, it spoke to her and  _of_  her. The message it sent was dark and sinister and was a testament to just how fucked up the world could be.

When the song concluded, she opted for something a bit more upbeat. As the heavy drum beat sounded out, Faith stood on the stage clapping her hands in time. “Time to get dirty, right?” She asked into the microphone. The snarling guitars added to the scene as Faith played air guitar along with it. The club erupted as she began singing  _Do You Wanna Touch Me_ by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

Again, the girls were up and dancing. Dawn dragged Spike over and danced with him, happily. He couldn’t help but feel lighthearted. He was careful to keep his hands in non-questionable areas.

The girls stayed at the club until well after midnight before finally calling it quits and heading home. Faith dropped everyone off and took Spike back to his crypt. “Thanks for hangin’ out with us tonight.” She said to him. “It was cool.”

He lifted the Styrofoam container. “Thanks for the wings, bint.”

She looked at him long and hard. “You know, Spike. I know you don’t really like the fact that you can’t do what you used to, what with the chip and all. But…I really do appreciate you keeping an eye out. Helping me with patrolling and just takin’ care of shit when I can’t.”

He stared at her and sighed. “Sadly, I’ve kinda gotten used to it.”

“I’m not gonna lie to you and say that I’d rather have you as the evil as hell bad boy because, well, you deserve better than that. But I am,  _genuinely_  sorry for you. Like I said before, you got a little piece of tech in your head keeping you from being you.” She shook her head. “That’s something that, no matter how good the intentions are, no one has a right to do. And I think the initiative crossed the line when they put that chip in your head.”

He regarded her whimsically. “You know…the Glinda’s are right lucky to have you, you know.”

“I’m lucky to have them.” She leaned over and pecked him on the lips. “Have a good night, Spike.”

He smiled at her and climbed out of the Jeep. “Take care, slayer.” He said, happily.

She watched him walk back to his crypt and pulled away heading home to the beautiful women that she had waiting there. She was in a really good mood, despite being tired as hell.

 


	17. Chapter 17

 

Faith sighed as she strolled along the alleyway. “God, what I wouldn’t give for something to kick the shit out of.”

“Please…” She heard a man’s scared voice from around the corner. “Don’t hurt us. I’m sure we can work something out.” She trotted down the alley and peered around. A middle-aged couple stood clutching each other as two men stood sneering at them. One of the men had the woman’s purse and was rifling through it.

“A-A deal of some sort.” The woman said, terror in her voice. “Anything you want.”

“Always kinda wanted a puppy.” Faith said, crossing her arms. Everyone turned and looked at her. She smiled. “Oh, sorry. Guess you weren’t talking to me. My bad.” She shrugged. “Oh well. Since I’m here…” She rushed forward and put a hard boot into the man holding the purse. He was hurled back against the brick wall, crumpling to the ground in a heap.

“Christ, lady.” The other man said, suddenly fearful.

Faith cocked her head. “Huh. A mugging. That’s new. I mean normally it’s all about the blood and the horror, but a good old fashioned mugging?” She lifted the purse and tossed it back to the woman. “Kinda sweet, actually. Well, probably not for you two.” She pointed to the street. “There’s a bus stop just around that corner there. It’s…” She looked at her watch. “Eight seventeen. Next one comes by at about eight twenty-five. Takes you to the transit center. There are usually a couple of cabs waiting. Have a good night. You guys need change for the bus?”

“N-no.” The man said, pulling his wife along. “We’re fine.”

“Alright. Have a good night.” She said, smiling. She turned to the muggers. “Where were we?”

The man that she kicked rose to his feet, shakily. His partner checked him over and looked at Faith and ran at her. She stepped forward and stiff-armed him in the chest, throwing him back into a pile of debris. The first of the pair lunged at her. She caught his fist and held him a there a moment. She then spun him about and gripped his hair, pulling his arm back behind him. “Not too sweet for you losers either, huh?” She asked, holding the man there. She saw the second attacker again get to his feet. “Come on, rush me. It’ll be funny.”

He snarled and moved to lunge at her when a black and blonde flash slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

“Aaaagh!” Spike growled, gripping his head. “Bloody hell.”

Faith chuckled and pushed the mugger into the wall, knocking him cold. She then moved over helped Spike to his feet. “You okay?”

“Ask me when my head stops getting hit with a bloody axe.” He said, his voice pained.

“They were humans, bud.”

“Yeah, caught that.” He said. “Sodding…” He looked at her. “You’d think if the government was gonna put a chip in my head, they’d at least make it so I could attack criminals and that sort.”

“Oh, yeah. Because mugging deserves the death penalty.” Faith said. “Sorry. Just have to get your rock off fighting demons and vamps.”

Spike bobbed his eyebrows. “There are other ways.”

Faith pulled him down and pecked him on the cheek. “That is very true. But sadly, I’m no longer on the menu, there bleach.”

“I know, I know.” He said. “It’s early, yet. Wanna go grab a drink and a dance at the Bronze? Make me want what I’ll never have again?”

“You are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?” She asked him.

“I was with Dru for like, a century and change.” He admitted, falling in step beside her.

“Hell with that.” Faith said. “I’ve heard of Drusilla. Rumor has it she was a knockout. No, her I got. Whimsical nutjob, but probably a beast in the sack.”

“The stories I could tell…”

“Wish you wouldn’t.” Faith interrupted. “Like I was saying, Dru, I got. It’s Harmony Kendall that baffled me.”

“Oh, don’t let that ditzy air-headed exterior fool you. That girl was a hell of a seductress when she wanted to be. Give old Cordelia a run for her money when she got goin’.”

“Seriously?” Faith asked as they approached her newly repaired Plymouth. “She always seemed kind of…generic to me. One eight hundred blonde.” She unlocked her door, climbed in and popped the lock for him.

“There were moments when I wanted just to stake her and be done with it. Woman drove me crazy.”

“Then the tits came out and all reason fled, huh?” At Spikes sad nod, she chuckled. “Don’t feel bad, big guy. That just makes you as human as the rest of the male population.”

“Oh yeah, kick me when I’m down,” Spike said. “You have any idea what I was like as a bloke? A simpering, bad poetry writing wanker. That’s what I was. A bloody pillock with mummy issues.” He snarled. “Gettin’ turned was the best thing ever happened to me.”

“You know…” Faith began. “I never really got the chance to ask Angel. But, what’s it like being a vampire?”

“Gotta be different for everyone, I suppose. The four of us…Dru, Darla, Angelus and me, we were the scourge of Europe, bint. For decades we just moved from place to place, not a care in the world.” He looked at Faith. “You know…I heard about what you did to the Scoobies before you got straightened out. Some fine work, that.”

Faith sighed heavily. “Not real proud of that.”

“Of course not. You’re not evil, love.” Spike said, smiling.

“Maybe not. But in those days, I definitely wore the uniform.”

“No, you didn’t, slayer. You were no closer to evil than Buffy ever got.”

Faith was surprised by that. “You can’t mean that.” She couldn’t wrap her head around the statement. “Buffy was a hero. Dyed in the wool.”

“Plenty of evil heroes, love,” Spike said simply. “Good and evil is all about perception, slayer. Take a look at your military. To the American public, largely, our boys go over and be all patriotic and heroic. Liberating countries from the evil dictator. But in a lot of those countries, the citizenry doesn’t see it that way. They were brought up that what they believe is right. The people in charge make the laws. They’re the people that are right. Now there’s a big bad army storming in, dropping bombs and gunnin’ people down. Looking at it from their point of view, who’s evil now?”

Faith pulled to a stop outside the Bronze and stared at him. “I keep forgetting you’re like, ten times older than me.”

“I was around in World War 2, slayer. Germany thought they were right. Japan thought they were right. Italy thought they were right. Up until the late eighties, Soviet Union thought they were right. But take a read in your History texts. Blokes like Hitler, Hirohito, Mussolini, and Stalin. They were as evil as they come. But certain people paint these men as heroes. If we listen to them, America was the villains. Saw a lot of people who were gettin’ ground under by these blokes turn around and praise them when the red, white and blue war machine came callin’.”

“But that doesn’t mean Buffy was evil, Spike. She was a lot of things, but she wasn’t evil.”

“Never said she was. I’m only sayin’ that you weren’t. Buffy had a dark streak, slayer. Don’t for a moment think she didn’t. Her tenure as the guardian of Sunnydale was just as rocky as yours.”

“I suppose.”

“It’s the fine line you walk. You aren’t human and you’re not a demon. You aren’t a part of the world anymore. Yeah, you can live life and touch that normalness but you’ll never truly have it. You embrace what you are. You get a rush out of it. That’s what makes you a better slayer. You know what you are and don’t try to hide from it. Buffy could never truly come to grips with it. She always hoped that she could be a normal girl and just…slay on the side. You and me both know it doesn’t work that way.”

“I think that’s what makes Buffy a worse slayer, but made her a better human being.” Faith said. “She was better with the day to day.”

“Maybe back then. But I can tell you this. I’ve known her a while. Past two years I was a pretty heavy part of her life. Not all friendly, I admit. She was good with the whole life as a teenager bit. But this whole life as an adult would have probably killed her. You’re handling it just fine. I can see you care a lot for little bit. You definitely got the warm tinglies for Willow and Tara. Seems like the only one you can’t seem to get along with…” He pointed at her. “Is you.”

Faith just stared at him. “I don’t think I like you being smart. It’s creepy.”

“Well, it’s not like I can bite you. Gotta do something to piss you off.” Spike said, climbing out of the car. “Come on. Let’s go in and get something to drink and play some billiards.”

She nodded and followed him in. “You know, I’ve been meaning to tell you something.” She said as she paid the club’s cover. “You do have one hell of a singing voice. Not a bad dancer, either.”

“Not too bad yourself, slayer.” He said, making his way toward the pool table. “You fellas about finished?” He asked, giving them a flash of fangs. “Please say no.” The pair of teenage boys dropped their sticks and ran out of the club. He began racking the balls. Faith came back over with a pair of drinks. “You wanna break?”

She took a sip of her soda and nodded. “Sure.” She said, spinning the cue in her hand. “I gotta admit. Seeing those Fyarl demons dance was hilarious.”

“They did good backup vocals. What with the grunting and the snarling.” Spike said, watching as Faith broke, sending balls in every direction.

Two of the solid balls sunk into the corner and side pockets. “I’m solids, apparently.” She said.

“Was it just me or did big daddy Sweet have a good vibe?” He asked.

“I kinda dug on him. Though the look on his face was priceless when he found out that Xander was the one that summoned him and not Dawn.” Faith laughed. “Would have been kinda funny to see Xan as an underworld princess.”

Spike laughed. “Would have served him right.”

“I gotta agree with you there.” Faith admitted. “It’s what he gets for grabbing random shit in a magic shop and just using it without fully knowing what it does.” She pulled back and gave Spike his turn. “Did give him and his woman some pause for thought. Feel kinda sorry for Tweed, though. Both Xander and Anya dumped baggage on him about how they’re starting to have second thoughts. He told them to take a break on the wedding plans and talk out their relationship more.”

“Probably a good idea,” Spike said, nodding. He sank a shot and moved around the table. “Personally, think they’re rushing a bit. Only reason Xander is with her, in my opinion, is because the boy can’t seem to get any from anyone else and he doesn’t wanna let his party piece go.”

“As disturbing as that is, I’m inclined to agree. I think they’re all wrong for each other. I mean Anya is cool. I think she’s funny as hell, but being married to her would just suck. I’d fuckin’ kill her if I had to stay with that for rest of my life.”

“Not much for commitment, huh?” Spike asked.

“Oh, it’s not that. I find the right person and I can see it happening. But it’s gotta be right, you know. What I got with Red and T-bear? It’s good. It’s really good. I mean we haven’t done the ditty yet, but we’re working up to it. I don’t find myself missing the sleeping around. I’m just happy living in the moment and not sweating what tomorrow brings.”

“That’s how I lived everyday when I was turned. Hell, I still do.”

“It’s a fun way to live, it really is. Some days it sucks, though.” The pair played their game, danced to a couple of songs and had a few drinks.

“This was nice, slayer. Thanks.” Spike said as Faith dropped him off at the graveyard.

“How do you keep from getting thrown out of the crypt?” She asked. “Always kinda wondered.”

“No security on the property. Given that most of the people buried her died over fifty years ago, no one comes and visits the graves.” He shrugged. “No one cares what’s here. It’s just kinda forgotten.”

Faith leaned over and pecked him. “I may not be willin’ to fuck ya. But I’ll never forget ya, Spike.”

“Appreciate that, Faith.” He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “See ya later.”

She watched him stroll across the cemetery and looked at her watch. “What the hell.” She said, driving toward the Doublemeat Palace. She pulled up in front and turned her car off. She pulled her cell out and called the house.

“Hello?” Dawn answered.

“Hey, little D. I was wondering if you girls wanted anything from the DMP?”

“Ooh, yeah. I’ve been thinking about a Doublemeat with bacon. Just a second.” The teen turned and shouted into the living room. “Either of you want anything from the Doublemeat Palace?” Faith couldn’t quite hear their responses. “Salads.” The girl offered.

“Cool. I’ll bring double B home with me.” Faith said, ending the call.

She knew Buffybot would be getting off in about twenty minutes. She went inside and saw the bubbly blonde robot standing behind the cash register with a bright smile on her face.

“Hi, Faith.” She said, waving. “Welcome to the Doublemeat Palace. How can I help you?”

“Hey, double B.” Faith said, getting to the counter. “Gimme two of those Doublemeat Medley combo meals. And large that up for me. And gimme two salads, no drinks. One with Thousand Island, one with Ranch. Better also give me Doublemeat with cheese and bacon, but no lettuce or onions. Gimme onion rings instead of fries and cokes for all the drinks.”

Buffybot repeated the order back, word for word. “Is that everything?”

Faith nodded, pulling cash out of her wallet. She paid for the food and took the little number. “I’ll give you a ride home.”

“Okay,” Buffybot said, happily. “Your food should be ready in just a moment.” The bot moved about the restaurant, obviously taking pride in her job.

Faith found it kind of funny. Another employee, a young man barely out of high school moved over to her. “You and her friends?” He asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, why?”

“Well, she’s really cute.” He said, watching Buffy work.

Faith tried really hard to hide her smile. “Yeah, she’s pretty hot.” She thought about what to say and decided that she was going to have some fun with him. “You thought about askin’ her out?”

“That’s kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. Is she, you know, single?”

Faith grinned. “She was…seeing someone, but it turned out she wasn’t his…model.”

If the boy caught the innuendo, he didn’t show it. “So they’re not seeing each other anymore?”

“Not so much.” Faith said.

“What’s she like?” He asked her.

“She’s really nice. Loyal to a fault. A little eccentric, but if you can get her batteries charged, she’ll be all over you like a hobo on a ham sandwich.”

He brightened up. “So…what does she like to do?”

Faith watched the girl. “Well,…it’s obvious she likes her job.”

He nodded. “She’s a machine here at work. I mean, she never slows down. She doesn’t take her breaks and when she does, she just sits in the breakroom and stares at nothing. It’s a little weird.”

Faith chuckled. “Yeah her brain has trouble switching off. She’s like a computer sometimes. She’ll just…go into power save mode I guess.”

“I have friends that do that. Just ignore you when they’re spacing out.” He turned and offered his hand. “Daniel, by the way.”

“Faith. I’m serious. Try asking her out. Worst thing she can do is say no. I can guarantee she won’t be offended.”

Daniel smiled and nodded. “I’ll give it a shot.” He stood a moment longer and moved over to the robot.

“This is gonna be good.” Faith said, grinning.

“So um…Buffy.” He said, nervously.

“Yes. That’s my name.” The bot said. “And your name is Daniel.”

“Yeah, so listen.”

Buffybot frowned. “Isn’t that what I was doing?” She turned and stared at him full on, putting the broom down that she was holding. “Maybe you think I wasn’t listening because I was not facing you directly. I am sorry for your confusion. Now you have my undivided attention.”

The boy seemed somewhat flabbergasted. “I uh…um.” He chuckled. “You’re kinda peculiar, you know that?”

“How so?” She asked, cocking her head innocently.

“I was wondering of you would be willing to, you know, go out with me sometime? Maybe go and grab a cup of coffee or something.”

Buffybot stared at him a moment. “Like a date?”

“Well, yeah, kinda. I mean, no pressure. I just think you’re kinda cute and these past few days I kinda like the things you say.”

“Dates are fun.” She said, smiling.

“So you’ll go out with me?” He asked again.

“I like dates. I’ll go on one with you.” Buffybot said. “That would be fun.”

“Okay. Cool.” He said. “Yeah, so. I’ll uh…when is good for you?”

Faith stepped in to make sure it wasn’t rushed. “She’s got a couple things to take care of, first. Say…Saturday?” She asked.

“Saturday is a weekend,” Buffy said, grinning. “We both had that day off.”

Daniel nodded. “Okay. So I’ll meet you Saturday at the Espresso Pump at, like, seven?”

Buffybot returned his nod. “It’s a date.” She said, offering her hand. He took it and like a gentleman, kissed the back of it.

“I can’t wait.” He said, whimsically.

“But…you have to. Today is only Wednesday.” Buffybot furrowed her brow. She looked to Faith. “It is Wednesday, right?”

“Yeah, B. It’s Wednesday.”

Daniel chuckled. “Really peculiar.” He said, moving off to finish his work.

“You have no idea.” Faith said, quietly. “Look at that, B. Your first date.” She patted the bot on the back. “Go ahead and get your work done and we’ll get outta here.”

The robot went back to her duties, performing them meticulously without error or deviation. Soon the pair left the restaurant with dinner in tow and headed for home.

Tara and Willow were sitting at dining room table with books strewn about the surface. “You two look in deep research mode.” Faith said. “And research requires food.” She sat the salads down and handed the Thousand Island to Tara and the Ranch to Willow. “Robo B here has an announcement to make.”

“What announcement?” Willow asked.

“What announcement?” The robot repeated.

“About Saturday. You and Daniel?” Faith prompted.

“The date?” Buffybot asked for clarification.

“Yeah.” Faith turned back to the redhead. “Double B has a date this Saturday with a boy from her work.”

Tara smiled, but Willow suddenly looked horrified. “Oh, no.” She looked at Buffybot. “She can’t go on a date.”

Faith furrowed her brow. “Why not?” She looked the robot up and down. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Beyond the fact that she doesn’t have the human interaction skills for a date? How about the fact that she can’t drink or eat? How about the fact that she’s programmed for combat and customer service?” Willow took the Buffybot and sat her down. “She’s not a real girl, Faith. You have to remember that. She may look like Buffy, but she’s not.”

“So what? This boy likes her. Thinks she’s funny and cute. She’s been interacting with him for days and he likes how she behaves. Thinks she’s a little peculiar, but he digs on it.”

Willow buried her face in her hands. “This…you’re not getting it. She’s a robot, Faith. Not a girl.”

Faith furrowed her brow. “Why don’t you try being a little more condescending there, Red. I’m not quite sure I get it.” She snapped. “I’m not stupid. I get that she’s a robot. But that don’t mean we gotta treat her like shit, you know?” Faith looked at Buffybot. “Do you wanna go on this date with Daniel?”

“I think it sounds like fun.” The blonde said happily.

“Then that’s that.” Faith said, looking at Willow. “We’ll just have to make sure she understands how a date works.”

Willow sighed heavily. “It’s not like that’s something I can program in.”

“No, it isn’t.” Faith said. “And no offense to either of the two of you, but I’m betting neither of you has had a boy take you out.”

Tara shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever even been in a room with a naked man before.”

“Oz took me out several times,” Willow said, somewhat huffily.

“Taking you the Bronze while his band plays on stage doesn’t count, Red.” Faith said.

“Oh.” Willow offered, dejectedly.

“Don’t sweat it.” She looked at Buffybot. “You have tomorrow night off, right?”

“I work from six AM until two PM. For the breakfast and lunch rush. Those are our peak hours and you need to make sure you can move swiftly, efficiently and effectively. A good worker is the key to a good business.” The bot offered with a customary smile.

“Good.” Faith said. “Because tomorrow night. You and me are going on a date.”

“Dates are fun. I like dates.” The bot said with a grin.

“So I’ve heard.” Faith said. “Go ahead and get ready to close down for the night. Make sure to put your uniform in the hamper.”

“Okay,” Buffy said, heading upstairs.

As she left, Willow turned back to Faith. “He’s going to find out she’s a robot.”

“So what if he does?” Faith said. “Ain’t the strangest thing walkin’ around out there. Plus he’s a teenage boy. Like he’s gonna give a shit. She’s hot and willing. Sweet.”

Tara couldn’t help but giggle. “That’s actually pretty accurate. Most boys really don’t seem to care beyond what a girl looks like.”

Faith moved over to the stairs. “Hey, little D! Dinner.” She said, holding the bag up.

The teen’s door flew open and the brunette came thundering down the stairs. She snatched the bag and hugged Faith. “Thank you.”

“Got you a big ass order of onion rings instead of fries just to change it up.” Faith explained.

“Pickles and tomatoes?” Dawn asked.

“Hold the lettuce, hold the onions.” Faith added. “Got you a coke, too.”

“Awesome,” Dawn said, sitting down at the table. “Any luck?” She asked the witches.

“What’s all this?” Faith asked as she tucked into her chicken and beef burger.

“Well, since there’s no big evil a-brewin’, we’re trying to find a spell that will de-ratify Amy,” Willow said.

“But it’s p-pretty slow going,” Tara said, between bites of her salad.

“Have you guys tried getting Tweed in on it?”

Willow tapped a couple of books. “These are his contributions.”

Faith shrugged. “You’ll get it figured out.” She finished her burgers and burped into her hand. “I don’t know if it’s real meat, but I like it.”

“Don’t ever say that again,” Dawn said, past a mouthful of food. “Ever.”

Faith chuckled and sipped her coke. “Well, I know what you thought after you saw that Discovery Channel special on hot dogs.”

“Leave me to my illusions and tastiness, dammit!” Dawn snapped.

Faith continued to snicker but said nothing else. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure she really wanted to know either.

Some days, ignorance  _was_  bliss.

 


	18. Chapter 18

Faith stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself. She was definitely not used to wearing what she was currently. She had on a pair of nice slacks that were just a touch snug in the behind to show off her butt. She honestly didn’t own a pair of pants that did otherwise. Her shirt was a nice pale blue button-down affair with a black blazer over the top. She’d decided against a neck or bow tie. She was going for elegant, not formal. Tara had taken her hair and braided it for her to keep it away from her face. Her boots had been polished to a high mirror shine.

She’d applied her makeup – a bit of eyeliner, some eye shadow, a bit of blush and bright red lipstick – before dressing. She nodded to the girl in the mirror. “As good as it gets.” She picked up her keys and her wallet and left the bedroom, walking down the stairs. “How do I look?” She asked Dawn.

The teen turned from the television as she sat on the sofa and looked the slayer up and down. “You look good. Kinda butch for you.”

“Well, it was either this or having my ass shrink wrapped in leather or denim and a hootchie shirt.” Faith said.

Willow came walking out of the kitchen. “I still think this is a bad idea.”

“She should be allowed to have some kind of a life, Red.” Faith said. “And are you sure about the not being able to eat or drink thing?”

“I actually went through her thoroughly last night. I’ve never really looked that closely. Apparently, Warren did a pretty good job putting her together. She _can_  eat and drink, she just doesn’t need to or have a specific desire to.”

“Wow,” Dawn said. “How’d you miss that?”

“Look, as much as I hate to say this, Warren is a lot smarter than I am when it comes to robotics, okay? This isn’t a pathetic little battlebot geeks build in their basements. We’re talking full-on Data action. Not quite as self-aware, but still.”

“Yeah, I was gonna say. Robo B is nowhere near as advanced as Data. I mean, she doesn’t have a positronic brain, does she?” Faith asked.

Willow and Dawn both just stared at her. “I’m actually surprised you know what a positronic brain even is,” Willow said.

“Hell, I’m surprised she knows who Data is.” Dawn added.

“I did own a television when I was little, twerp.” Faith said. She turned back to Willow. “So she can eat? What happens to it?”

“It’s actually really fascinating. The food is actually broken down. The natural oils of anything she eats helps lubricate her servos and systems. The liquid she consumes is recycled and used for cooling. And she can expel it through…natural means.”

“She can piss and shit?” Faith asked.

“More or less. She was built to be anatomically correct.” She looked at Dawn. “You didn’t need to know that.”

“Trust me, I’m repressing.” The teen said.

“Alright, so at least she won’t freak him out. How much can she eat?” Faith asked. “She doesn’t have a lot of self-awareness, so I gotta lay some ground rules.”

“Her artificial stomach can hold a total of twenty ounces of food. A normal meal isn’t quite that much. She should be fine.”

“Good. I just gotta make sure we give her a good list of what she can order. Anything she shouldn’t have?”

“Not that I can think of.” Willow returned. They both heard the door to the guest room open and turned to the stairs.

Tara came down the stairs, smiling. “Sh-she looks great.” The wiccan said softly. “Ready to see your date for the evening?” Faith nodded. “Come down, Buffy.”

The bot stepped out onto the foyer and moved down the stairs. Faith raked her eyes up and down the blonde robot’s form. “Damn.” She said. “She does look good.”

Buffybot was clad in a skin tight black dress that showed a nice amount of cleavage and came to just above mid thigh. Her legs were bare and she wore a pair of gloss black boots with a nice three-inch heel that stopped just below her knees. “How do I look?” The bubbly bot asked.

“Fantastic.” Faith said. “Did your sister ever wear this?”

“Couple times,” Dawn said. “Looks good on her, don’t it?”

“Hell yeah, it does.” Faith stepped over to her. “You ready to have some fun?”

Buffybot smiled and nodded. “I like fun.”

Faith offered her arm. “Shall we?” When the bot looked at her with confusion, Faith looped her arm with the robot’s. “Like this.”

“Why?” Buffybot asked.

“It’s just a polite thing to do. When a date offers you his arm like this, that’s what you’re supposed to do. Just kind of a tradition thing.”

“Oh, okay,” Buffy said, smiling.

“See you guys later.” Faith said, heading toward the garage.

Tara, Willow, and Dawn stared as the pair left the house. “I still think this is a really bad idea,” Willow said, sadly. “She’s not a real person.”

“Just because she’s a robot doesn’t make her any less real than any of us,” Tara said. “Sometimes just treating her like a real person might make her feel better.” She looked at her girlfriend. “I know it makes me feel a little better.”

Willow looked at her. “But…I don’t wanna get attached. She isn’t Buffy. We should stop treating her like she is.”

Dawn looked at the redhead and reached up cuffing her stiffly in the back of the head. The witch rubbed her head, looking at the girl with a frown. “She’s the only part of my sister I have left, Willow. Just because she’s a reformed sex toy doesn’t mean we have to treat her like crap. For god’s sake, we make her sleep in a closet.”

“She doesn’t sleep in the closet, Dawn. She powers off and gets put in the closet because she’s a robot. She’s a tool for helping around the house and backup slaying.”

“I have a question for you.” The teen said, crossing her arms. “Have you ever bothered to  _ask_  her if she likes being in the closet?”

Willow furrowed her brow. “Not really, no.”

“Maybe you should. Maybe she would like being treated like a human being from time to time. Faith seems to get it.” Dawn said, turning to go into the kitchen. “And I know you’re smarter than she is.”

“Ouch,” Tara said, smiling. “From the mouths of babes.”

Willow sighed and lowered her head. “Maybe you’re both right. I’ve been seeing her as just a…robot. Like a really sophisticated lawn mower. You don’t bring your Briggs and Stratton into the house to sleep in a bedroom.”

“But she’s not like that, Willow. She may not be human, but she is a part of the family.” Tara said, pulling her girl in for a loving embrace.

“I suppose so,” Willow said. “Just a little strange.”

“We live on a Hellmouth love,” Tara said. “If our day to day wasn’t strange, what would we do with ourselves?”

“Good point.” Willow offered, kissing her girlfriend. “What’s for dinner?”

“My world famous call to the Chinese delivery restaurant.” Tara said. “With those crispy little spring rolls you like.”

“Ooh,” Willow said, excitedly.

Faith opened the car door for the girl, letting her climb in. As the bot sat down, her skirt rode up her thigh, giving Faith a glimpse of the girl’s panty line. “Okay, get back out.”

The bot did as she was instructed. “Did I do something wrong?” She asked.

“Not really. Just want to show you how to sit down in a skirt without showing off your panties.” Faith explained. “Wearing pants like me, you won’t have to worry about it. But when you’re in a skirt or a dress, especially one as short as that, you gotta take some precautions.” She took Buffy’s place. “Here. Watch me.” She turned and sat down on the seat, smoothing her hands down her butt and legs as she did so. “You put your hands on your behind to make sure your skirt doesn’t hike up.” She then lifted her feet and turned, setting them in the footwell. “See? You don’t flash your date when you get in this way.” She got out and moved out of the way. “Now you try.”

Buffybot executed the maneuver textbook, just as Faith had shown her. “Like this?”

“Perfect.” Faith said. She shut the door and moved to the driver’s side, climbing in. She reached up and hit the garage door opener. “Make sure you buckle up.”

Buffy nodded and pulled the seatbelt down, clicking it. She then rested her hands on her lap and watched Faith as she fastened her own belt and pulled her keys out of her pocket. “You’re really pretty, aren’t you?”

Faith looked at her. “What?”

“You’re really pretty, aren’t you?” The bot asked again.

Faith was stunned. “Uh…I mean yeah. I’m pretty fine if I do say so myself. What made you ask?”

“Tara helped me get ready. I asked her if she liked you and she got red and her heartbeat sped up. I asked her if it was because you’re pretty. She didn’t answer me.” Buffybot asked.

Faith chuckled as she fired the Roadrunner up. She backed out of the garage. “Honestly, I couldn’t answer you either. I really don’t know why Tara and Willow like me.” She glanced at the bot. “There’s no clear cut answers for things like that. Just like I couldn’t tell you why I like them.”

“I think it’s because you’re all really pretty,” Buffybot said. “And you all seem so happy when you’re together.”

“I guess I like the things that they say. I like the things that they do. Little things that I notice that I’m sure they aren’t even aware that they’re doing.”

“Like what?”

“Well…when Red is deep in the research, she does this little Donald Duck thing.” Faith made the noise as best she could. “It’s really subtle and I’m sure she doesn’t know she’s doing it.”

“Do I have habits that I’m not aware I have?” Buffybot asked. “Probably not.” She said, suddenly sounding kind of sad. “I’m not real.”

“Says who?” Faith asked, driving away from the house.

“Everyone. I’m not really Buffy. People tell me that all the time.”

Faith looked at her. The admission actually surprised the hell out of her. “Let me tell you something.” She pulled the car over and stopped. She turned toward the girl full on. “Look at me.” Buffybot did as she was told. “I don’t care what anyone tells you. You  _are_  real. You’re a robot. So what?” She shook her head. “Doesn’t make you any less real than me.”

“You’re human. I’m not.” Buffybot said.

“So?” Faith said. “Spike isn’t human. Doesn’t that mean he isn’t real? What about little D? She’s a ball of glowing energy. Does that make her any less real? No, it doesn’t. The only thing that makes you different from everyone else is that you were built. You’re made of microchips and metal. That doesn’t mean shit. You’re a part of our family. You’re Dawn’s sister.” She reached out and took the robot’s hand. “And you’re my friend.”

Buffybot looked her in the eye and smiled. “I am real. Because real people have friends.”

“There you go.” Faith said. “Now stop thinking like that. You’re real girl that’s gonna have a good time on your date with Daniel.”

Buffybot nodded. “Okay.”

They pulled up to the Espresso Pump. “He wanted to meet you for coffee. So this is the first step.”

Faith opened the door for the girl. “You remember how I showed you to get in? Just do the same thing but in reverse.”

Buffybot nodded and swung her legs out, tightly together. As she stood, she ran her hands up the back of her dress, lifting the back to show off her underwear clad bottom.

Faith chuckled, and shook her head. “Okay. When you get out of the car, instead of your hands moving up, just keep them below your bottom.” She demonstrated. “Like this.”

“Okay,” Buffy said. “Thank you for showing me. I don’t want to look stupid.”

“You’re not stupid.” Faith said. “Let’s go inside.” She again offered her arm to the blonde. Buffy took it and smiled. She led them to a table in the corner and sat the girl down. “I’ll go and order. Is there anything in particular you want?”

Buffybot just looked at her. “I don’t need to drink liquids. I don’t have a preference.”

Faith nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll get you something appropriate.” She picked a couple of beverages and made her way back to the table. “It’s a Mocha Latte with whip cream. It’s basically fancy hot chocolate.” Faith said.

“Okay. I can remember that.” Buffybot said. She then sat there staring at Faith. “What do I do now?” She asked, finally.

“Well…now you just talk.” Faith offered. She paused a moment and nodded. “Right. Date talk. This is where you get to know each other. What can you tell me about Daniel?”

“He’s five feet nine and a third inch tall. He weighs exactly one hundred and seventy-two pounds, three point two ounces…”

Faith laughed. “Let me rephrase that. What do you know about his personality? His likes and dislikes. What have you heard him say that tells you things about what he’s like?”

Buffy thought a moment. “I’ve heard him say that he likes the Star Wars Movies. Phantom Menace could have been better, but I feel it kept somewhat true to the scope of the first three movies. Attack of the Clones was actually the worst of the three prequels because it was just a feast of nothing but CGI. Yeah, Phantom Menace had that, but it was a testbed for Star Wars for a completely new generation. Attack repeated the mistakes of the first movie. It was like they didn’t learn anything. Hayden Christensen was a decent enough actor, but he suffered from bad writing and over direction. Revenge of the Sith was awesome. Don’t care what anyone says.”

Faith couldn’t help but laugh. “Christ. He’s a geek.”

“He thinks so too,” Buffy said. “He said he’s a geek.”

“What else can you tell me?” Faith asked. “What’s his favorite color?”

“He likes emerald green because of a necklace his grandmother bought for him when he was little. It was an emerald green iron cross.”

“That’s good. That’s a start. So his grandmother and him were close.” Faith said. At Buffy’s nod, she went on. “Do you know what kind of music he likes?”

“He said he likes soundtracks. He’s also really into video game music. He says that Yoko Shimomura is his favorite composer.”

“I…have no idea who that is.” Faith said.

“She’s done a lot of video game soundtracks. She’s done all of the Kingdom Hearts games. His favorite though is the Parasite Eve Soundtrack.”

“How could you possibly know that this chick did all the Kingdom Hearts games?” Faith asked.

“This coffee shop has Wifi,” Buffy said, simply.

“You can access Wifi?” Faith said. “That’s actually pretty cool.”

“I can also act as a Wifi hotspot.” The bot added. “Warren installed the hardware when he constructed my predecessor.”

“Your predecessor?”

“April. The robot he created me from. She was incredibly inferior to me.” Buffy said, somewhat smugly.

Faith caught the hint of pride and giggled. “Yeah, you and Buffy are a lot alike.”

The bot stared at her with a bright smile. “That’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

Faith nodded. “Well, you should be…” She never got the sentence out. Her eyes were pinned on the four people that came into the coffee shop. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the four of them. She knew immediately what they were. “Give me a minute.” She said, rising to her feet.

Buffybot looked at her and turned to the new group. “What’s wrong?”

“Vampires.” Faith said, moving toward them. Buffy immediately got up and followed her.

“No, wait here.” Faith said to her.

“I’m programmed to fight the vampire menace.” Buffybot said, her voice suddenly cold and hard. “And you are my friend. I will not let you get harmed.”

Faith grinned. “Just like old times.”

The four vampires spread out, looking for victims. Two of them sat down near a girl that looked like she was still in high school. “Hey, beautiful.” One of them said. He had the appearance of a greaser from the fifties. He reached over and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

She squeaked and moved away from him, cowering.

“You get those two.” Faith said, pointing.

“Right,” Buffybot said. She moved over and gripped the avarice vampire by his hair and spun, hurling him over the counter to smash into a glass case filled with pastries. “Seems she’s allergic to grease.” The bot snapped out.

The second vampire stood and lunged at the robot. He gripped her around the waist and drove her backward into the counter, smashing a part of the wood. He then gripped her throat and began strangling her. “Die, bitch.” He growled.

Buffy gripped his wrists and squeezed. Her robotic hands might as well have been hydraulic presses with the damage they did to his bones. After crushing the muscle and bone to powder, she pushed his arms out wide. She then wrapped her hands about the back of his head and pulled it down, while driving her knee up. His face collided with the steel reinforced joint. His nose splayed across his mug. She then turned and slammed his head through the front of the counter.

As she finished with him, Greaser leapt at her from behind the display, his face twisted in the demonic visage common to his breed. She reacted with blinding speed. Her right hand gripped his throat and her left hand took hold of his belt. She lifted him and turned crashing him down back first onto a table. The surface shattered as he went through it. She dropped to her knees, snatching up a piece of the broken table and staking him quickly with it. “Custard likes it when you don’t scream, happy.” She snapped, smiling. She rose to her feet and turned, ducking below the second vampire’s haymaker. Her stake caught him directly in the chest, sending him away in a hail of dust. “The same goes for you, monkey lips.”

Faith moved toward the other two vampires. They sat at a table, hassling another young pair of girls. As she walked by, she snatched a broom from the employee that was sweeping by the door. “Can I borrow that?” She said, not waiting for him to react. As she walked, stomped on the end, snapping the brush off the bottom she then broke it over her knee. She spun the pair of clubs in her hands and came up behind the vamps. With a hard shot, she cracked both of them across the sides of the head.

They tumbled from the chairs they were seated in. The girls got to their feet and backed away from the table, scared senseless. “Pardon me, ladies. Your dates and I have something to discuss.”

“They’re not with us.” One of the girls said.

“Good to know.” Faith said. A terrible crash sounded on the other side of the shop. She knew Buffybot was well into her fight with the other two vamps. She trusted the android to get the job done.

The two vampires rose to their feet. “Who do you think you are?” One of them said. He sported a leather jacket and was trying way too hard to look like a badass. Faith quickly unloaded on him with a hard flurry of blows from the sticks she carried. The first shot caught him across the teeth, snapping his head to the side. The second rapped across his ribs. A third strike took him behind the knee. Faith lifted as she struck. As the vampire was lifted into the air, she drove the broken end into his chest, dusting him.

That left one. He looked at her as she stood smiling. He shook his head and turned to run. She quickly hooked a chair in her foot and flipped it into the air. She then executed a textbook spin kick, catching the chair square with her foot, propelling it toward the fleeing vampire at breakneck speed. It collided with his retreating back, knocking him to the floor. He landed in a heap and slid along the wood.

She made her way over and knelt, jamming the stake down, taking him out. She rose and looked at the girls. “Sorry for the disruption.” She lifted the chair and sat it back down. “Here you go.”

“Th-thank you.” One of them said, giving her a weak smile.

Faith nodded and moved past the employee that was cleaning. “Thanks.” She said, handing him the sticks. “Couldn’t have done it without you.” She patted him on the shoulder and moved back toward her date.

She arrived just in time to watch Buffybot stake the first vampire. She raised her eyebrow as she heard the rather bizarre colloquialism. “Yeah, Red’s still gotta bit of work to do in that area.” When the bot was finished, Faith looked around. “Okay, B. Time to jet.” She took hold of the robot’s arm and pulled her away from the coffee shop.

Buffy nodded. “This was fun. Are all dates like this?”

Faith chuckled. “Only the good ones.” She led the girl to the car. “Instead of coming to the Espresso Pump for your date, have him take you to the Bronze.”

“Why? The Espresso Pump was fun.” Buffybot offered as she climbed into the car exactly as Faith had shown her.

Faith shut her door and slid into the driver’s side. “Yeah, but it’s also gonna be closed. The amount of damage you did is gonna take some time to fix.”

“Should I apologize to the owner?” Buffybot asked.

“No, don’t sweat it. Places like that have insurance. Not sure if they cover vampire attacks, but…” She pulled away and headed toward the club. “We’re going dancing.”

“I’ve never been dancing,” Buffybot said, happily. “It looks like fun, though.”

“Oh, it is.” Faith said, shifting gears, revving the engine. “You’re steppin’ into my world now, blondie.”

Buffybot didn’t stop smiling all the way to the Bronze. Or the whole time she spent there. Faith was surprised as hell. She’d danced a couple of times with Buffy back when she was in Sunnydale. What the blonde was doing now was a far cry from the bouncy, somewhat bubbly way she danced before. She slid her body down Faith’s, keeping physical contact all the way. She turned grinding her bottom into the front of the slayer. She took Faith’s hands and pulled them around her waist, then moved her own hands back, holding the brunette’s hips close.

“Damn, B. You definitely know how to work it.” Faith said. “Startin’ to feel a little jealous of Daniel.”

Buffybot didn’t say anything. Instead, she simply added a little sway of her hips. For hours, the pair danced, just enjoying the night.

For Faith, it was a reminder of better days.

For Buffybot, it was a gift from a friend. Something that she never knew she could have. It was also a promise of things to come.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Faith stepped back and looked the blonde robot up and down. The black leather pants hugged the girl’s curves. As did the soft lavender spaghetti strap top. The three and half inch strappy wedges did wonders for the robot’s calves. “Yeah…you are definitely gonna knock his socks off.”

Buffybot furrowed her brow. “Why would I want to do that?”

Faith chuckled as she moved up to adjust the blonde’s hair. “It means you look really good.”

“Oh,” Buffybot said, smiling. “Thank you.” She looked at Faith. “Thank you for doing this.”

The slayer looked at her. “Doing what?”

“Letting me go on this date with Daniel. I know Willow didn’t want me to.”

“You deserve to be happy, too.” Faith said. “Does going on this date make you happy?”

“Yes, it does.”

“Then there you go. You’re just as entitled as the rest of us.” Faith smiled and nodded. “You’re ready.” She offered her arm to the girl. “Let’s go and blow your date’s mind.”

Buffybot looped her arm in Faith’s just like she’d been shown.

“Now just so you know, I’m gonna be trailing you tonight. Just to make sure everything goes okay.”

“Why?” Buffybot asked.

“Because I wanna make sure you two have a good time. I don’t want any vampires or anything spoiling your evening.”

“But that was fun,” Buffybot said.

“Yeah, for the two of us, maybe. But for regular people, vampires are scary and dangerous. Daniel probably wouldn’t enjoy fighting vampires as much as we do.”

“Oh…because he’s human,” Buffybot said.

“Precisely. See…that’s one of the things that makes you better than human. You’re stronger, faster, know how to fight better and can take a lot more punishment than a squishy human type. Same with me. I love being a slayer. But not everyone around us can take that kind of abuse. So I’m gonna be keepin’ an eye on you to make sure nothing goes wrong and that you have a nice time.”

The bot grinned widely at her. “Okay.” She said, resting a hand on the girl’s arm. “I appreciate it.”

“No problem.” Faith said. She led the girl down the stairs. “Well? How’s she look?”

Tara, Willow, and Dawn were all sitting on the sofa watching a movie. As one, they all looked up at her.

“Very nice,” Tara said. “Daniel is one lucky man.”

“Those pants are little tight, aren’t they?” Willow asked.

“Kinda the point, Red.” Faith said. “We want Daniel to get all sorts of ideas in his head. Besides, you don’t hide a good stake under a napkin when you serve it up.”

Dawn shook her head. “Leave it to you to find a connection between clothing and food.”

“Either that or sexual metaphor.” Faith said. “We’re off.”

“Have fun, Buffy,” Tara said. “Let us know how it went when you get back.”

“Okay.” The girl said, moving off toward the garage arm in arm with Faith.

“Something is going to go horribly wrong,” Willow said. “I can feel it.”

“Th-that’s why Faith is going along to keep an eye on her. If something goes off kilter, Faith will be there to get things back on track.” Tara said. She rested a hand on her girlfriend’s knee. “Don’t worry so much.”

Willow took the girl’s hand and looked her in the eye. She then gave her an evil smile and flicked her eyes to the stairs and back, bobbing her brows.

Tara blushed and giggled. She then bit her lip and nodded.

“There’s no need to try and be slick about it,” Dawn said, not taking her eyes from the movie. “I’m young, not dumb.” Willow and Tara both looked at her, then got up and veritably ran up the stairs. Dawn watched them go and sighed, shaking her head. “Grown-ups.” She said, sighing.

“Daniel knows to meet you outside the Bronze, right?” Faith asked Buffybot.

“I called him. He was very happy to hear from me. He told me he was excited.”

“I know I would be.” Faith said.

“You really liked Buffy, didn’t you?” Buffybot asked.

Faith wasn’t sure how to respond. She decided to go for honesty. “Yeah, I did. When she died, she came to me in a dream. Told me to look out for everyone. I think despite the bad blood between us, she showed that she still trusted me to do what was right. That meant a lot.”

“Do I remind you of her?”

“Yes and no.” Faith said. “I mean, you got the looks. You got the curves. But I can tell you’re not her.” She quickly looked at the girl. “Trust me, that’s not a bad thing. That just means instead of being an imitation of her, you’re actually your own person. Like a…twin sister or something.”

“I was supposed to be a perfect copy of her.” The bot said. “At least that’s what Warren built me to be. And that’s what Spike wanted me to be. Except he wanted me to love him.”

“Did you?” Faith asked.

“Yes. I was built to love him.” Buffybot said, simply.

“What about now?”

“I…I don’t know. My programming is very specific as far as combat and customer service skills. Everything else is just…I have trouble accessing any additional programming.”

Faith smiled. “That’s because you don’t have any, B. Red hasn’t given you anything else to work with. Mainly because that’s what I asked her to do.”

“Why wouldn’t you want her to give me additional programming?” Buffybot asked, confused.

Faith just kept smiling. “Because…” She looked at the girl. “Part of being a real person is learning things for yourself. Experiencing life first hand.” She tapped the steering wheel. “Driving a car, learning what kind of music you like, going on dates.” She shook her head. “All that stuff is things that shouldn’t be data in a hard drive. It should be something you make your own decision about.”

“Are my emotions programmed?” Buffybot asked. “I mean, when I do something right, my body gets warm. I like the feeling, but…am I simply programmed to feel that way?”

“Does it matter?” Faith asked. “When I’m around Willow and Tara? When I’m asleep and I have my arms around them, I feel safe and happy. I never used to feel that way. Everybody I’ve shared a night with has always just been a means to an end. I never gave much thought to who it was or what they wanted. But with those two, I find that I care what they want. I wanna make them happy. I don’t question if it’s some sort of genetic code or something. Because it doesn’t matter. Same with you. It don’t matter where the feelings come from. It only matters that you feel them.”

“But if it’s just programming…”

“Did you like the date we had?” Faith asked her.

“Yes. I enjoyed it very much.”

“Then that’s all that really matters. Normal people don’t spend a lot of their time thinking about  _why_  they feel. They just spend their time  _feeling_. That’s what you should do. Get right down to it, we’re all machines. Just like you. Except instead of being made of metal, polymers, and wires, we’re made of bone, skin, and muscle.”

“But you’re alive.”

“And you’re not?” Faith said. “Not being human doesn’t make you any less alive than anyone else. Remember that.” She pulled up to the club. “Alright. There’s your boy.”

Buffybot looked at him. He was dressed in a pair of nice jeans, a black button-down shirt and a pair of black boots. “He’s cute.”

“Yeah, he is, actually. He cleans up well.” Faith said. She looked at Buffybot. “Okay. A few things to remember. He’s human, so when you hug him, be careful not to break something. You can only consume twenty ounces of food. So don’t over eat. And avoid alcoholic beverages. Other than that, have fun.”

“I will. Thank you, Faith.” Buffybot said before climbing out of the car.

Faith watched as the girl walked up to the boy. The blonde swayed her hips with a swagger that Buffy never possessed. It was a reminder of, despite the look and the voice and the makeover that Willow did to the bot, that she was still built for pleasure. Faith grinned as she saw the expression on Daniel’s face. He was getting hot under the collar watching the blonde stalk toward him like a lioness hunting its prey. Boy didn’t know what he was in for. He offered his arm to the girl. She accepted without hesitation. As they turned and headed into the club, she climbed out of her car and likewise made her way inside.

She did feel a little bad for lying to the bot. Her role as distant chaperone wasn’t to keep vampires and beasties away from the pair. It was to make certain that Buffybot didn’t make any kind of serious faux pas. She dropped the cover and quickly scanned the crowd for the pair. The spinner was currently spitting out some emo bullshit. She caught sight of them sitting at a table, chatting.

She stepped up to the bar, ordered a soda and headed up to the catwalk to watch them from above. She felt the movement as someone leaned on the banister beside her. She turned to see Giles standing next to her. “Keeping an eye on your new protégé, I see.” He said, smiling.

“Just makin’ sure she doesn’t do anything to screw the night up. We prepped her as much as we could. The rest is up to her.” She looked at him. “What brings you here?”

“Boredom, I suppose. Saturday night. Nothing on television worth watching.” He turned and leaned back against the rail. “Decided to go out and see what was what.”

“You haven’t been dipping into any magic chocolate, have you?” Faith asked him.

He gave her a smile. “Bullocks. You caught me.” He shook his head. “No. Despite what you all might believe, I was actually a rather rebellious youth.”

“I can see it. B gave me some of the highlights.” Faith said. “Why don’t you go down and give us a little bit of tuneage? I know you can sing.”

“As can you.” He said. “You’ve got a voice made for rock and roll.”

“You got the Roger Daltrey thing goin’ on.” She took a sip of her soda. “And I know we both sound better than this crap.”

“I’m game if you are,” Giles said, smiling.

“You callin’ me out, Tweed?” Faith asked him.

“Indeed I am, slayer.” He said, chuckling. “It’s been a while since I did something brash.”

“For me, it’s been like…” She looked at her watch. “About an hour.”

“Please note my complete and total lack of surprise.” He said, offering his arm.

Faith kept an eye on Buffybot and Daniel as they walked. “It’s a good thing you’re doing.” He said to her. “Robot or not, treating her with respect is a good thing.”

She nodded. “I think so.” The pair got to the DJ and informed him that they wanted to sing a duet. He handed them the song list. They stepped back and perused it, looking for something appropriate. “Nothin’ sappy.”

“Nothing too hardcore.” Giles offered. “Something classic, if at all possible.”

“I like me some classic rock.” Faith said. “What are you feelin’?”

“Well…” He turned to book to her. “This one.”

She looked at it and slowly lifted her eyes back to him. “I am not, repeat  _not_  singing Chicago.”

“25 or 6 to 4 is a good song.” He said.

“Not…singing…Chicago.” She said to him. “Resolve face.” She said, pointing.

He sighed and kept looking. “No class.”

“What about this?” Faith said. “It’s good, it’s classic…”

“It’s Motorhead,” Giles said, looking at her. “I am not doing Ace of Spades.”

“Yeah, never mind.” She said, shrugging. “Oh, here we go.” She said, pointing. “I love this song. It’s classic and even you own this album.”

Giles looked at it. “I do like the song.” He turned back to her. “I think we found our song.” He said, smiling. He handed the DJ back the book and informed him of the song they wanted to sing.

“You’re on as soon as this song is done.” He said to the pair.

They made their way over to the side of the stage. “You’re sure about this?” He asked. “Plenty of time to back out.”

“I’ve done Karaoke before.” She said. “I actually enjoyed it.” She looked over at Buffy and her date. They were dancing away. Buffy was giving the kid a serious mahogany rush. “Poor kid.”

Giles looked at her and immediately pulled his glasses off, cleaning them.

Faith watched him and chuckled. “Right.” She said quietly. The song ended and they were up.

The melodic chords filled the club as Giles began with the opening lyrics of  _Foolin’_  by Def Leppard. Their rough, yet gifted voices did the cut proud.

When the song ended, the club was in awe. They then clapped and cheered loudly.

The pair moved from the stage and handed the microphones back to the DJ. “That was rather enjoyable,” Giles said. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Faith said, moving up to the bar. She ordered them both sodas. She kept her eyes on Buffybot. “Wonder what they’re talking about.”

“Who knows?” Giles said. “Nothing normal, I’m sure.”

Buffybot danced seductively as she knew how grinding her bottom against Daniel’s crotch. He had his hands on her hips and was simply enjoying himself. She turned and dipped down low, snaking her way back up his body. She then put her arms on his shoulders, staring into his eyes.

“You’re beautiful.” He said to her. “I don’t know what I did to get so lucky.”

“You asked me out, remember?” Buffybot said. “And I said yes.”

He chuckled. “Well, yeah. But you’re like…way out of my league. I thought for sure you’d shoot me down.”

“Why would I shoot you?” Buffybot asked. “I don’t even own a gun.”

He furrowed his brow. “What?”

“You said you thought I would shoot you down. Why would I want to do that? Shooting you would hurt you.”

He stopped dancing, staring at her. “Are you serious?”

“Gunshot wounds are very serious,” Buffybot said. “I don’t understand why you’d think that I’d shoot you for asking me out. Where’s the fun in that?”

“No…I meant that I thought you’d say no.” He said. “I didn’t…Jesus.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I got confused.” She went back to dancing. “I think you’re very nice. And wearing this you’re really cute. I’m glad you asked me out.”

He continued dancing and smiled at her. “You’re a little peculiar, you know that?”

“I’m not a normal girl,” Buffybot said.

“I’ll say. I don’t think there’s another girl out there as beautiful as you.” He said.

“There was, but she died.”

“What?” He asked. “You have a twin sister?”

“No. I’m a robot.”

That stopped him in his tracks. “Um…what?” He asked her. “I’m not sure I heard you right. You said you’re a robot?”

Buffybot nodded. “Yes. But I’m real because I have friends.” She said happily.

“Are you messing with me?” He asked, stepping away from her. “How?…What?”

Faith watched the pair stop dancing and saw Daniel step back from Buffybot. “Oh, this isn’t good.” She said to Giles.

He looked and sighed. “No, I dare say it isn’t.”

Buffy lifted the front of her shirt and peeled away the section of stomach. “See?”

Daniel pulled her off to a secluded section of the dance floor. He then inspected her closely. “Oh my god.”

“If you’ll excuse me.” Faith got up and quickly moved through the people. She got to the pair just as Daniel was looking the inner workings over.

He looked up and saw Faith. “Did you know about this?” He asked her.

“Yeah.” She said, pushing him away and closing the bot back up. “It’s…complicated.”

He furrowed his brow and looked at the blonde. “I think I get it.”

“Get what?” Buffybot asked.

“Well…I went to high school with you. I was there when you got the class protector award. A few months ago there was that…those really weird lights in the sky. And you said that there was a girl that looked like you, but she died. And you’re a robot.” He rubbed his face in his hands. “You’re not the real Buffy Summers. She’s the one that died. You’re like…a decoy or something.”

Faith sighed. “Look, Daniel. She’s as real as you and me, okay? She genuinely wanted to come on this date with you. She likes you. She’s a robot which means certain things kinda get lost on her.”

He stared at the blonde and saw those beautiful hazel-green eyes staring back at him filled with happiness and just the simple joy of being with people she liked. “Are you having fun?” He asked her.

“Yes,” Buffy said. “I like being here with you. I’m sorry being a robot makes you sad.”

He couldn’t help but smile. Robot or not, she was a girl that enjoyed being around him. Most people couldn’t stand him. “It doesn’t make me sad. It just means that I have the coolest and most advanced date in the room.”

“That makes me happy,” Buffybot said to him.

“I do have a very…guy question.” He said. Faith grinned but didn’t say anything. “Are you…anatomically correct?”

Buffybot immediately harkened back to her basest programming. She gave him a sinister, yet avarice smile. Faith’s words slid from her lips. “I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I’ve got muscles you’ve never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne, and you’d beg me to hurt you just a little bit more.” She leaned forward and licked his nose. “And that would make me  _very_  happy.”

Faith smiled at herself. She had made sure Buffybot told the boy that if he found out that she was a robot. Being a typical boy, she knew he’d ask. And it was the perfect response. Especially since she’d seen the tailspin it sent Spike into.

Daniel stared Buffybot in the eyes and had to swallow. “You…know how to…do that?”

Buffybot pressed her chest against his and wrapped her arms about his neck. “I know how to do that.” She kissed him passionately. “But we’re not there yet.”

“O-okay.” He said, whimsically. “Wow.”

“Dance with me some more.” The blonde said, pulling him back out onto the dance floor.

Faith smiled. “That went better than expected.” She moved back over to Giles. “I think she’s gonna be alright.”

“So he knows?”

“Yeah. He took it pretty well.” She finished her soda. “Wanna dance?”

“Um, well, I…uh.” He stammered out.

Faith grabbed his hand and pulled him out onto the floor. “Come on, Tweed. Live it up a little.”

Giles sighed and began dancing. He was actually rather rhythmic. Faith was nice and kept it as clean as she could. She also avoided touching him…mostly.

Buffybot continued her incredibly naughty dancing with Daniel. The poor boy was going nuts. And he was loving every minute of it.

As they danced, a pair of boys moved up, and simply pushed Daniel aside and began grinding against Buffybot. Daniel sighed and began moving away.

Buffybot stopped dancing. “Daniel, stop. Come back.” She said to him. She moved to push past the two large boys. “Please move.”

“You don’t need that loser.” The boy wearing a red button-down shirt said.

“He’s my date. I came here with him.” She said.

“Now you’re with us. See how that works?” The other, clad in a purple tee offered, moving with the music.

“I don’t want to be with you.” She said to him. “Now move before I’m forced to cause you injury.”

“Oh don’t be that way.” Red Shirt said, trying to sound smooth. “You just need a good…”

Buffybot drew back and punched him in the gut, doubling him over. She then snatched Purple Tee by the hair and slammed his face down onto the back of the Red Shirt’s head, knocking them both to the floor, out like lights. She ran to Daniel and threw her arms around him. “They wanted to take me away from you. I didn’t want them to.”

He smiled at her and brushed an errant lock of blonde hair from her eyes. “It’s okay.” He leaned in and kissed her. The pair shared a warm embrace.

Faith watched the girl put down the pair of slabs. “Nice.”

Giles chuckled. “She’s rather taken with the boy.”

“I met him. He’s a good kid. Bit of a dork. But that’s to be expected. Seems the dorks are the one’s getting the girl, these days. Just look at Xander.”

“I’d rather not,” Giles said. “I’m going to retire for the evening.” He took Faith’s hand and kissed the back of it. “Thank you for a lovely evening.”

She smiled. “Smooth SOB ain’t you?”

“I try.” He said. “I’ll see you tomorrow for training?”

Faith nodded. “Take it easy, Tweed.” She watched him go and decided to head to the bar to get some food. She sat and waited for Buffybot and Daniel to finish their date. The smile on the pair’s faces told her everything she needed to know.

She offered to play chauffeur for the pair on the way home. The pair sat in the backseat and made out pretty much the entire time. She was nice and took back roads and drove along the waterfront so they could enjoy some time together.

Buffybot walked up to the boy’s door with him. “I had a really good time with you, Daniel.” She said. “Can we go out again?”

He smiled at her. “I’d like that.” He leaned in and kissed her again. “You’re a really fun person, Buffy.”

“Thank you,” Buffybot said to him. “Thank you for saying person.”

He chuckled. “I don’t care that you’re a robot. You’re a beautiful, fun and wonderful  _person_. Don’t let anyone tell you different.”

She smiled at him. “I won’t.” She said. “I’ll see you at work on Monday?”

“Okay.” He said, turning to open the door. “Have a good night.”

“You too, Daniel.” She said, happily. She watched the door close and turned back to the car. “He’s really sweet. I like him.” She said to Faith.

“Next time you go out with him, I won’t be following you around.” She said. “I think you can handle the next date on your own.”

“Well, you kept vampires from bothering us,” Buffybot said to her. “I appreciate that.”

“Yeah, but you can take care of yourself. You’ll keep him safe.”

“Okay,” Buffybot said. “I want to go back and spend the night with him.”

“I’m sure you do. Kid’s a muffin alright.”

“No, he isn’t. He’s a boy.” Buffybot said, furrowing her brows.

Faith chuckled. “It means that I think he’s cute, too. Saying things like ‘kid’s a muffin’ or ‘I’d eat him up’ means that the person thinks someone’s attractive.”

“So…” Buffybot thought. “If I were to say ‘I’d suck him down like a chilidog’ about Daniel, that’s a good thing?”

“Oh, yeah. That’s a good one. I gotta remember that.” Faith said as the pulled into the driveway. She hit the garage door opener and drove inside. “Got a question for you. Do you want your own actual bedroom? Instead of being put away in a closet?”

Buffybot looked at her. “I…don’t know. I don’t sleep.”

“Yeah, but…wouldn’t you rather lay down on a bed than stand up in a closet?”

“I…would like that. It would make me feel like a person.” She smiled. “Daniel called me a person.”

Faith laughed as she climbed out of the car. She opened the door for Buffy. “You got it bad.”

“I’ve got what bad?” Buffybot said. “I don’t want anything bad.”

“It means you’ve got warm fuzzy feelings for Daniel. You really like him.” Faith said. “That’s a good thing.”

The pair made their way into the house. Dawn sat on the sofa watching TV. “Hey, little D. Where’s Red and T-bear?”

“They went upstairs as soon as you two left,” Dawn said. “I’ll give you three guesses what they’re doing, but you’ll only need one.”

Faith snorted. “Nice.”

“So how was your date?” Dawn asked Buffybot.

“It was nice. Daniel knows I’m a robot and still called me a person.” She beamed happily. “I like him.”

Dawn smiled widely. “I’m glad to hear that. You deserve to be happy just like the rest of us.”

“Thank you, Dawn,” Buffybot said, leaning down to hug the girl. “Faith asked me if I wanted a room.”

“Seems fair. You should be able to sleep in a bedroom.” Dawn said to her. “You’re part of the family, not a vacuum cleaner.”

Faith nodded. “That’s what I was saying. Come on, B. Let’s get you ready for bed in your new digs.”

The blonde waved goodnight to Dawn and followed Faith up to the bedroom that Buffy and she used to occupy. She spent her nights with Tara and Willow. “Here you go, double B. It’s a damn sight better than the broom closet. And I don’t think Buffy will mind.”

Buffybot looked around the room and turned back to Faith. “Thank you.”

“Why don’t you go ahead and change into something to sleep in?” Faith said. She sifted through the drawers and pulled out Buffy’s yummy sushi pajamas. “Here.”

The bot took the clothes and began changing. Faith watched the girl and, strangely, didn’t feel any sort of overt sexual attraction to her. Yes, she was Buffy in every physical way, but …it just wasn’t there. She wanted to protect the bot. She wanted to make sure she got a fair chance to be someone. Not just a tool built for…she shuddered and quickly dispelled any thoughts on the bot’s initial purpose. Currently, in the robot, Faith saw a friend. She saw the bot almost as a sister.

Once Buffybot was changed, she sat down on the edge of the bed. “Can I just sit here for a little while?” She smiled. “I want to think about Daniel.”

Faith grinned at her. “Sure.” She moved over and gave the robot a hug. “You take as long as you want.”

“Thanks,” Buffybot said. She watched Faith close the door and sat in the silence, letting her computer driven mind recount the evening.

The stereo suddenly popped on.  _”Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I do disagree…”_ Sounded out before the radio turned back off.

Buffybot felt the slight fluctuation in the electromagnetic spectrum. She smiled widely and knew what the subtle message meant. “Thank you, Buffy.” She said, to the emptiness of the room.

 


	20. Chapter 20

Willow leaned her head back and rubbed her eyes with the butt of her palms. Tara sat with her feet tucked up under her on the sofa with the spellbook in her lap. For days the pair had been going over every spell they had collectively to find a way to return Amy to her normal state. “My brain feels like it’s going dribble out of my ears.” She moaned.

Tara looked over at her. “Take a break, sweetie. We’ve been at this for hours.”

“I know,” Willow said, yawning. “I’m gonna go take a hot bath. Maybe the relaxation will help.”

“Okay. Do you want me to come in and wash your back?” Tara asked.

Willow gave her a smile. “How about joining me? Tub’s big enough.”

Tara giggled. “Not that I don’t see the merit in that idea. But, I can’t. I have to start dinner in a little while.”

Willow giggled and lifted the phone. “Behold the power of technology.” She dialed a phone number.

“Faith’s voice mail. Unless you been livin’ under a rock, you know what to do.”

“Hey, Faith. It’s Willow. Would you be a dear and pick up something for dinner on your way home? We’re not real picky. Tara and I will be in the bath, waiting for you.” She said, looking at her lover. She ended the call and stared into the wide eyes of the blonde.

“Are…are you sure we wanna do that? F-Faith hasn’t seen either of us naked yet.”

“I know.” The redhead said sheepishly. “But she’s been sharing a bed with us for almost a month now. She’s been on her best behavior. She doesn’t bring anyone home with her. She kind of deserves it, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, she really does,” Tara said. “I think tonight we should…”

“I think so, too.” She bit her lip. “I’m just afraid that she won’t be…satisfied.”

“We’ll never know until we try, Willow,” Tara said. “It’s a chance we’ll have to take.” She put the book down and rose to her feet, offering her hand to her lover. “Come on. Relaxation and intimacy might bring a fresh perspective.”

Willow smiled and nodded, taking the blonde’s hand. The both ran like schoolgirl’s up the stairs to the large master bathroom. Tara went in and started the water in the massive tub. Willow gathered a trio of large plush towels from the linen closet and set them on the shelf. As with every time before, her breath hitched in her throat as she watched the pretty blonde disrobe. Tara’s body was exquisite. Cordelia had been Willow’s first female crush. When they were in middle school, the Redhead first noticed the statuesque brunette. Yes, Cordelia was rotten to the core with her privileged lifestyle and horrendous manners. But Willow couldn’t deny that the girl was possessed of a certain amount of sex appeal that seemed to only grow over time. She never acted, or hell, so much as  _thought_ about acting on such a crush.

Then Buffy had shown up. Buffy seemed to have all of the qualities that Cordelia did. She was pretty, sexy and had a rather significant love of fashion. But the one thing Buffy had that Cordelia lacked, was compassion. Buffy rooted for the underdog. She was petite. Even more so than Willow herself. And standing at a whopping five feet, five inches, that was saying something.

She’d seen Buffy in the nude once. And the differences between the blonde slayer and her current blonde love was like night and day. Buffy was lean and in perfect physical condition. True she only weighed in at a scale-busting one hundred and twenty pounds, but Willow knew that it was all muscle. Buffy’s body was like cold rolled steel. Which explained why she was as gifted and athletic as she was, even before her being called as a slayer.

But where Cordelia was tall and was a testament to excess, in so much that her physicality came from expensive gyms, the latest in DVD home aerobics and cheerleading, and Buffy, the athletic superhero, Tara was simply…Tara. She was relatively plain, but that was one of the things that Willow loved about her. She was as uncomplicated as a woman could get.

“Y-you’re gonna make me blush if you keep staring at me like that.” The blonde said, smiling. “Taking a bath together requires the b-both of us to be san-clothes.”

Willow moved over and pulled Tara in for a kiss. “I love you.” She said, softly.

“I love you, too.” Tara returned. “Now take your clothes off and get in the water.” She then turned and stepped into the bathtub, relaxing along the side. “I really wish I could thank Joyce for putting this tub in.”

Willow nodded as she removed her attire. Once done, she climbed in beside her girlfriend. “Oh, this is nice. Just what the doctor ordered.” She nestled in against her lover and sighed. Tara put her arm around the redhead and relaxed.

Faith, clad in a black tank top and a pair of sweat pants, worked the wooden man in the training room fast and furious. The pegs on the large apparatus rattled and thumped in rapid succession. Sweat plastered her tank top to her skin and her hair to her head.

Dawn, likewise clothed, punched the speed bag with a nice, practiced rhythm. She’d been training full stop for over a month and it was beginning to show. Her eye-hand coordination had improved, along with her speed and dexterity. She was even beginning to see some muscle tone on her rather lithe limbs.

“Now the heavy bag.” Faith said. “Give me one hundred right-lead salvos. Then change it up and give me another hundred left-lead salvos. Count em’ off for me.”

Dawn nodded and moved to the large bag. She got into a standard boxing stance and issued a hard right-left punch and a right side snap kick. “One.” She said out loud. She counted them out one after another. She put everything she had into every strike. She took her training very seriously. She was tired of being a burden to the group. She wanted to be able to pull her own weight. As she finished her arms were beginning to feel the burn. She smiled in spite of herself. When she first started, just working the speed bag, which she didn’t do very well, wore her out and made her shoulders burn.

Now she could work for almost twenty minutes full tilt before getting tired. She finished her first round and switched sides, issuing a left-right punch combo and a left side snap kick. She counted them down and backed away from the bag, sweating and breathing heavy. “One minute, then we do sword training.” Faith said, still going at the wooden man.

Dawn sat on the bench and tried to calm her breathing. She drank from her bottle of water and just watched Faith. The girl was brunette lightning. Her arms flew this way and that as she attacked the dummy with a vengeance. Every so often she would add a kick. She looked at her watch and sighed, standing up. She moved over and grabbed the two wooden bokken training swords. She turned to see Faith in the splits, with a foot out to either side, stretching. “That looks painful.”

“Used to be.” Faith said. “You’ll be able to do this someday.” She looked up at the girl. “Have you been stretching and shit in the mornings when you get up?”

Dawn nodded. “I didn’t this morning because I forgot to set my alarm, so I did my warm up during lunch.”

“Good.” Faith said, rolling onto her back and kicking herself to her feet. She snapped her fingers and held her hand out. Dawn tossed her the sword. She then got into position. Faith took her spot next to the girl and began moving through the basic forms that she’s been showing the girl. Dawn practiced hard but knew she had a long way to go. She, like her sister, was a very quick learner. Fifteen minutes later, the pair switched it up and sparred with the blades. Faith kept her strikes quick, but nowhere near her fastest. And she made contact with Dawn, but only enough to give her a light sting, not enough to bruise.

But she could see a marked improvement in the girl. The younger Summers worked her ass off and it showed. She could defeat Faith’s strikes for a long stretch before one snuck through. All in all, Faith was proud of her.

Finally, the clock on the wall chimed, telling them that the training was over. Dawn fell to her knees on the ground, as she did every day and breathed heavily. Faith spun the sword in her hand and collected Dawn’s blade. “You’re getting better.” Faith said. “Pop quiz. Fyarl demon. Specs, abilities and weaknesses.”

“Fyarl demon. Two meters in height. Two hundred kilograms on average. Offensive capabilities include superhuman strength, endurance and a rapid hardening mucus ejected from a pouch in the nasal cavity. Only weakness known is susceptibility to silver and like metals.”

Faith nodded as she grabbed a pair of towels from the rack and two bottles of water. “Not bad. You’ve been studying like I asked you.” She handed a towel and water to Dawn. “Go ahead and rest up. Then we’ll head home.” She sat on the bench and pulled her phone from her bag. She dialed her voice mail and listened to her only message. She smiled with excitement. “What are you feelin’ for dinner?”

“I don’t know. Fried Chicken and Jojo’s?”

“Sounds good.” Faith said, dialing the local chicken shack. She made a large order and put her phone away. “We’ll stop and grab it on our way home.”

Faith pulled into the garage, grabbing a bag of food as she stepped out of the car. Dawn grabbed the other two and followed the slayer into the house. “Why don’t you go ahead and chow down, little D? I’m gonna go upstairs and have a bath.”

Dawn nodded. “I’m gonna grab a shower first.” The teen said. “Where are Willow and Tara?”

Faith grinned. “In the bath.”

“Ah,” Dawn said, returning the girl’s smile. “Well, have fun.” She said trotting up the stairs.

Faith did likewise, entering the master bedroom. “It’s me.”

“We’re in here.” Tara’s voice sounded from the large bathroom.

Faith sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her boots and socks off. She wiggled her toes and sighed. “Better.” She stood and stripped off the sweat pants and a tank top, tossing both into the hamper, along with her bra and underwear. She moved into the bathroom and saw the two women completely naked for the first time. She couldn’t help but smile at the pair. “God made anything better than this, she kept it for herself.”

Both girls stared appreciatively at her. She was lean but had muscle to spare. Her body looked to be chiseled in marble. “Come in, sweetie,” Tara said, motioning the girl in.

“Plenty of room,” Willow said, smiling.

Faith stepped into the tub and sank down. “That’s nice.” She dipped below the surface and came back up, wiping the water from her eyes.

Willow and Tara both looked at each other, biting their lips and nodded. They then turned back to Faith. “We think tonight we should…you know.” Tara said, sheepishly.

Faith quirked an eyebrow. “Have sex?” She asked, wanting clarification. They nodded simultaneously. “You sure our relationship is ready for that?” It wasn’t that Faith didn’t want to. She most certainly did. She’d been wanting it pretty much since she moved in. But she knew that things usually went to pot if they were rushed and she really wanted what they had to work out. She was tired of moving from one lover to another. Both Willow and Tara were good honest girlfriend material. She could tell they loved each other and she found much about the pair that she could come to love also. She wasn’t going to lie to herself and say that there wasn’t a part of her that was scared that she felt that way. She was used to people who loved her leaving or dying on her. And she desperately didn’t want to lose these two. So she was understandably nervous.

“You’ve been more than patient,” Willow said. “Tara and I have been intimate since you began sharing a bed with us. It only seems fair. And you deserve it for all you’ve done for us.”

She sighed. “Look. I don’t do all the things I do because I expect something out of it.” She looked at them both. “I wanna do this, make no mistake. But I want it to be because the two of you are ready. Not because of some sense of obligation. I’m gonna be here for everyone because that’s what I was asked to do. It’s what I wanna do. You don’t have to…”

Tara moved forward and placed a finger on Faith’s lips to quiet her. She sat on the slayer’s lap. “We’ve talked about it. Both of us. We’re not agreeing to his because we feel we owe you. I’m not saying we don’t, but that’s not why.”

Willow eased up and sat next to the brunette, pressing her small pert breasts against the side of Faith’s body. “We think it’s time. We know we like cuddling next to you. We know we like sleeping with you. Now we think it’s time to learn of we like, you know,  _sleeping_  with you.” She ran a finger down the side of Faith’s naked chest. “And we need to know if you enjoy sleeping with us.”

“As long as it’s something you both want.” Faith said.

“I never thought I’d hear nervousness in your voice when it came to sex,” Willow said.

“I just don’t want anything going wrong.”

“It won’t,” Tara said, softly. “If we’re patient with each other, we’ll all learn what we do and don’t like. We’ll begin to understand each other’s bodies.” She leaned in and kissed the girl deeply. “And that’s going to best part of it all. The discovery.” She moved back and motioned for Willow to take her place.

The redhead did as the blonde silently suggested. She could feel the pounding heat coming off the slayer’s sex. She couldn’t help but smile. She shimmied her hips a little, drawing a subtle moan from the girl. “Are we arousing you?” She asked, leaning in to kiss her.

After the brunette drew back from the firm and aggressive kiss, she nodded. “Yeah, you are.”

“Well, then,” Tara said. “Let’s get you clean and fed.” She pulled the shampoo from the edge of the tub. “Move so I can get behind you to wash your hair.”

Faith smiled and gripped Willow’s thighs, holding her snug and scooted forward. The redhead giggled as the slayer did so. She took the bath scrubby from the small basket suction-cupped to the wall and squirted some of the body wash onto it. As Tara worked the shampoo into her hair, Willow lovingly washed Faith’s muscular form.

The brunette relaxed and leaned back on her hands, letting the girls do as they would. After they finished having a spot of fun in the bath, they climbed out and dried off.

“I got it!” Willow shouted. She quickly ran over to the shelf and began pulling books off of it, flipping through them.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” Tara asked as she pulled on a loose t-shirt and ankle length skirt.

“A spell,” Willow said, leafing through book after book. “I found it about a year or so ago. It was after Oz left. I…I know I wasn’t strong enough to cast it at the time. It was pretty powerful. But I think with you helping me I might…” She trailed off. “Where the heck is it?” She sighed as she looked through the last book. “Dammit.” She said, sadly. “I thought I still had it.”

“What spell was it, Red? Maybe Tweed might have it one of his books.” Faith said. She decided on a pair of short shorts and a white wife-beater.

“He doesn’t,” Willow said. “We’ve already gone through all of his books. I had a book that ended up getting lost. I’ve never been able to find it or another copy of it.”

Tara moved over and sat beside the girl. She reached up and took Willow’s hand. “Calm down.” She said, softly. “Relax and clear your mind.”

Willow sat and faced the girl, keeping her fingers joined with Tara’s. The pair stared at each other, using each other to gain strength.

“Now, bring the spell you’re looking for to mind. Concentrate on it.” Tara said. “Can you picture it?” As Willow nodded, Tara smiled. “Now focus and use our power to bring it into being.”

Willow again drew a deep breath and drew the energies needed for the spell. “Reveale.” In a small flash of magical light, the spell she needed, inscribed on ancient parchment appeared from thin air and fell into her still naked lap. “This is it!” She said, lifting it up. She immediately began reading it.

“Red? Before you cast that, don’t you think you should put some clothes on?” Faith said. “Unless you want Amy to see you naked.”

Willow looked at Faith. “What?” She then looked down at herself. “Oh.” She said, rising to her feet and pulling on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. “Forgot about that.”

Faith moved over and pulled the rat out of the habit-trail. “If this works, you ain’t gonna have to be worryin’ about that cage no more.” She said with a smile. She set her down on the bed. “Alright. You two can do your thing.”

Tara again took Willow’s hand and concentrated on the spell. They both read the text aloud, letting the magic flow from them. “Cho ki fu, non ipu. Cho ki fu, fatto. Disfa. Passato, illa periciolo, finita ila prova. Metti le cose a posto.”

Faith was ready with a blanket, just in case the girl was restored san-clothes. And as the mystical light swirled and sparkled around the tiny rodent, they knew the spell had worked. They looked on with joy as the form of the rat melted away to become the tall chestnut haired girl from Willow’s youth. Just as Faith had thought, Amy was buck naked. She immediately draped the blanket around her shoulders. “There you go.”

The girl lifted her head and looked about, nervously. She stared at the pair of witches… and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Faith stepped back, shocked. After a few seconds of screaming, Amy seemed to instantly calm…more or less. She looked around the room nervously.

Tara immediately went to the dresser and pulled a pair of sweatpants a t-shirt out. She moved slowly to the bed, offering the girl the clothing. “Y-you might want to put something on other than a b-blanket.” She said, setting the articles down.

Amy looked at them, and back to Tara. “Who are you?” She asked quickly. She looked to Faith. “And you.”

“Things have changed a bit,” Willow said. “Why don’t we step out so you can get dressed. Then we can talk, okay?”

Amy nodded rapidly. “Okay.” She said, not moving.

The three girls left the room and congregated in the hallway. Faith stood nearest the door and kept her ears open. “I just hope she isn’t too far gone,” Willow said. “She was a rat for a long time.”

Tara bit her lip and nodded. “She seemed p-pretty freaked out.” She looked to Faith. “Can you actually hear her?”

“She’s getting dressed.” Faith said. “She’s a little amped because she’s in a strange environment that she’s never been in before and the only person she knows is Red.” She tapped on the door. “You decent?”

“Yeah.” Amy returned. The three came back in, careful not to get too close. Amy sat, as she was before, with her knees up and her arms wrapped around her legs. She still seemed jumpy.

Willow moved over and sat on the edge of the bed. The girl moved a little away, but not much. “Do you want something to eat or drink?”

Amy shook her head. “No, thanks.” She gestured to her throat. “Still kinda queasy.”

“Okay,” Willow said. Faith moved forward, startling the girl. “Oh, hey. No, it’s okay. Faith’s a friend.”

Amy stared at the slayer. “I think I remember you. You were around senior year.”

Faith nodded. She wasn’t sure how much the girl remembered. “Yeah, I came to town a couple weeks after the school year started.” She eased onto the bed.

Amy nodded again. “Mm-hm. Yeah. Just…you know.” She leaned closer to the girls and whispered. “Everything feels weird. I mean, it’s like…I felt like I was in that cage for weeks.” Willow suddenly bit her lip, looking sheepish. “But it can still be okay…right? I-I can still get into the swing of things, like…” She perked up. “Prom’s coming up. I-I’m so hoping Larry would ask me. We would make such a splash at…” She stared at Willow a moment. “Oh. Oh god.” She sighed anxiously. “He hasn’t asked someone else, has he?”

Given that neither Faith nor Tara knew who Larry was, Willow was on her own. “Uh, Amy…three things we have to talk about. One, Larry’s gay.” That got a surprised reaction from the girl. “Two, Larry’s dead. And three, high school’s…kinda over.”

Amy looked at all three girls. “How long was I in that cage?”

Faith and Tara both shrugged. “Not really sure when you got all rat-ified, so I couldn’t tell ya.” Tara nodded in concert with Faith’s statement.

She looked directly at Willow. “How long?”

Willow sighed heavily. “This is gonna be a bit hard to believe…you’ve been a rat for two years, ten months and eight days.”

Amy sat there a moment. “I…need to use the bathroom.” She said, getting up and running in, slamming the door behind her. All three women could hear her retching into the toilet.

Faith looked at Willow and shrugged. “I think she took it well.”

 

Faith sat at the table tearing into the fried chicken. Willow was patiently filling her in on the past few years.

“You sure you don’t want something to eat?” Tara asked the girl.

“Do you have any cookies?” Amy asked, suddenly.

Faith nodded. “Yeah. Me and little D got sweet tooth’s from hell.” She rose to her feet. “What are you feelin’? Peanut Butter? Oatmeal? Chocolate Chip?” She thought a moment. “I think we might have some Oreos…”

“No, we don’t,” Dawn shouted from the living room. “At least not anymore.”

“Scratch the Oreos.” Faith said.

“Any kind. Not cheese.”

Faith moved off it into the kitchen, coming back out with a bag of Chocolate Chip cookies. “You want some milk?”

“No thank you,” Amy said, stuffing a cookie into her mouth. “Mmm. Good cookies.”

Willow smiled. “So anything you need clarification on?”

“Buffy’s dead?” Willow nodded. “And now there’s a Buffy robot?” Again the redhead nodded. “And she lives here?”

“She’s at work right now. Doublemeat Palace.” Faith said.

Amy looked at her. “And…you’re a slayer, just like Buffy?”

“More or less.” Faith answered. “B’s been doin’ it longer. A bit better at it, I think. But she passed away and now it’s kinda up to me.”

Amy nodded. “Oh.” She got up and walked into the living room, staring at Dawn a moment. The teen sat on the sofa with her feet up on the coffee table. She was currently licking the cream from the center of an Oreo cookie.

Dawn slowly turned to look at her with her tongue still stuck to the cookie. “What?” She asked the tall witch.

“I’m sorry to hear about your mom and sister.” She said, softly. “I lost my mom, too.”

“Yeah, but your mom was crazy,” Dawn said.

Amy couldn’t help but giggle. “Trust me, I was there. She traded bodies with me to be on the cheerleading squad.”

“Buffy and Faith did that,” Dawn said. “Traded bodies, I mean.”

Amy nodded. “Willow told me. Faith feels really bad about it. I don’t suggest it. Just in case you were curious.”

Dawn chuckled. “No, I enjoy my body just fine.” She paused a beat. “That didn’t sound quite so disturbing in my head.”

Amy giggled. “I wasn’t going to say anything.” She looked at what the girl was watching. “What the…? Faith, Willow, Tara come in here a minute.” As the girls approached, she pointed at the TV. “Look at that.”

Dawn turned the TV up. “…in critical yet stable condition as local authorities continue their investigation into the robbery that left one man frozen solid.” On the screen, behind the reporter, they say the exterior of the museum with an ambulance and a group of gawkers looking about. “Live from the Sunnydale Museum, Ryan Morris, KOUS.”

Amy cocked her head. “Weird.”

Faith sighed. “I gotta go. I’m gonna check this out.” She said, turning to head upstairs.

“I’ll come, too,” Willow said, turning to follow her. As Faith turned to regard her, Willow furrowed her brow. “Resolve face.” She said, pointing.

Faith just rolled her eyes and trotted back up the stairs. She knew better than to argue.

Amy watched them go and looked to Tara. “Faith really takes her role seriously.”

Tara nodded. “Yeah, she really does.” She gave the girl a warm smile.


	21. Chapter 21

 

Faith and Willow stood amid the crowd as the paramedics wheeled the still frozen security guard out of the building on a dolly. “You know,” Faith said, shaking her head. “I’ve seen a lot of weird shit before, but this?”

Willow nodded her agreement. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.” She chuckled. “Saying a lot for someone raised on a Hellmouth.”

“You know of any spells or anything that can do this?” Faith asked her. “Any kind of… supernatural trinket or something?”

“Not that I know of. I’ll get together with Giles and Tara and see what we can find. It could be some kind of new demon or something that we’ve never encountered before.”

“Good thinkin’.” Faith said. “Come on. Let’s go take a look around.” The pair moved away from the crowd, looking for a way into the museum.

“Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up.” Spike said, moving from the shadows.

“Yeah, yeah.” Faith said. “Didn’t know about it till we saw it on the news.” She sighed. “Can’t believe the press beat me to the punch.”

“You’re slackin’ slayer,” Spike said, grinning.

“Ha, ha.” Faith offered.

“Well, in her defense, she has been in prison for the past year and a half. She’s a little rusty.” Willow said, placating Faith with a weak smile.

“I will pinch you on your boob.” Faith said, making a half-hearted grasp at her. Willow squeaked and backed away, giggling. The slayer turned back to Spike. “You’ve been around the block a few times.” She thumbed back toward the security guard. “You ever seen anything like that before?”

He shook his head, looking at the commotion. “Can’t say as I have. Something straight out of a comic book, that.” He pulled a cigarette out and began patting himself down.

Faith pulled her Zippo and flicked it open, offering him a light. “You get a chance to scope out the area?”

He puffed his smoke to life and shook his head. “Not yet. Just got here.”

“Let’s go check it out. Know a way in?” She asked.

“Yeah,” Spike said, turning toward the building. “Since the medics are trundlin’ in and out, the alarm system isn’t armed. Any old window will do.” To demonstrate his point, he put his fist through one of the panes of glass and reached in, unlocked the window and pulled it open. “There you are.”

Faith quickly leapt in and crouched, looking about. Not seeing anything in the immediate area, she turned and offered her hand to Willow. The redhead took it and climbed in. Spike jumped through the window gracefully, closing it behind him.

Faith looked around the museum and shook her head. “This is just weird. What in here could cause a guy to get frozen?”

“Well, nothing in  _here_ ,” Willow said.

“Not so sure about that, love,” Spike said, dragging another pull of his cigarette. “That odd dinosaur thing there is a bit off-putting.”

“It might make you frozen with fear if you saw one, but it wouldn’t, you know,  _freeze_  you,” Willow said, looking at the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. “Someone or some _thing_  did that to the poor guard.”

Faith nodded. “Yeah, more than likely. But I don’t get it.” She pulled Willow aside and hid behind a large display case as a police officer moved through the building, looking around. He flashed his light this way and that.

“Where’s Spike?” Willow whispered.

Faith didn’t look, but simply pointed toward the ceiling. Spike sat upon the massive skull of the T-Rex with his arms draped over his knees. He looked at Willow and winked at her, smiling. As the cop left, the trio was again in motion.

“I’m to thinkin’ someone broke in wanting somethin’,” Spike said, looking around. “Plenty of things in here would spark a beasties interest.”

Faith nodded. “I’m sure, but the chances are also good whoever showed up got what they wanted. And I can’t see anything missing.”

They rounded a corner and Willow stopped them . “Look!” She said pointing to an empty display case. She moved forward and examined the glass case. “Looks like something hot was used.”

Faith leaned in and sniffed the glass. “Methane cutting torch. I’ve used one before.”

“Awful extravagant for your average demon type,” Spike said. “Typical demon would have just smashed the glass and taken…whatever this was.”

“That’s a good point. What  _was_  in here?” Faith asked, likewise examining the case.

Willow pulled the tag out and read it. “It looks like…the Crest diamond. Said to be one of the largest and purest diamonds in the world.”

Faith looked at Willow. “Seriously? That diamond had to be worth, what? A few million bucks? Why the hell wasn’t there more security on it?”

Willow shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, you’re right, there should have been.” She suddenly looked shocked. “You don’t think it was an inside job, do you? Maybe it was a heist.”

Spike chuckled. “Oh, yeah. The Sunnydale Job.” He dropped his cigarette and ground it beneath his boot heel.

“Well, I can say it’s a pretty safe bet that this wasn’t a supernatural threat. Demons really don’t care much about money.” At Spike’s look, “ _Most_  demons.” He nodded. She shook her head. “There’s nothing for it. I mean, aside from the dude being flash frozen for freshness, there’s nothing really strange about this. Even a small town’s got greedy people.”

They quickly stole their way out of the museum. “I’ll keep my ear to the ground. See what I can scare up.” Spike said to the pair.

“Thanks. Appreciate it.” Faith said to him. “Drop by the house if you learn anything.” As he walked away, Faith stopped him. “Hey, Spike!” As he turned around, she tossed the Zippo to him. “You need it more than I do.”

He caught it and smiled. “Thanks, bint.” He stuffed it into his pocket and moved into the shadows.

“Was that lighter special?”

Faith shrugged. “Found it at a bus depot in Utah. Kinda shocked it still worked. Come on. Let’s go home. See if we might be able to figure out what the hell is going on with the iced up rent-a-cop.” They made their way to the car and headed back to the house.

Amy was on the sofa watching TV when they came in. “Did you guys find anything out at the museum? Is the guard gonna be okay?”

Both girls shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you.” Faith offered.

“Aside from the frozen guard angle, not much to go on. They stole a honkin’ diamond.” Willow offered. “Turns out it’s just a typical,  _a_ typical Sunnydale robbery.”

“You’d think if they had a huge diamond, they’d have better security,” Amy said, turning back to the TV.

“You’d think.” Faith said, following Willow into the dining room. Tara and Dawn were deep into the research. “Anything that might explain the freezing action?”

Tara shook her head. “No. We have Giles, Xander, and Anya at The Magic Box going over what they have, but so far we’re coming up empty.”

Faith sighed and looked at her watch. “I’m gonna go and grab double B from work and get in a quick patrol. I’ll see you guys later.” She leaned down and kissed Tara, then turned and followed suit with Willow.

“Be careful.” The blonde and redhead said, in unison.

Faith waved as she left, getting back into her car and heading out. She pulled up to the restaurant and parked. She kept an eye on Buffybot as she finished sweeping the floor and quickly set about mopping meticulously. The brunette could see Daniel watch her and smile brightly.

“God, she’s beautiful.” The boy said, whimsical.

“Been meaning to ask you, bro.” Bruce, the shift supervisor asked, leaning on the counter watching the girl. “How’s everything going with her?”

“Good. We’ve had a couple dates now. She’s a wonderful girl.” Daniel said. “I really like her and she really likes me.”

“You fuck her?” Bruce asked him.

“No,” Daniel said, looking at him. “We’ve only been on, like two dates.”

“Why not dude? I mean, she looks easy.”

“You can stop, now,” Daniel said, somewhat irritated.

“Well…” Bruce said, standing up. “I’ve you’re not gonna hit it, I am.” He moved from around the counter and walked over to the girl. “Hey, Buffy.” He said, grabbing her ass.

The bot turned and quickly stiff-armed the man. Bruce was immediately thrown backward to slam into the counter, before flipping backward over it to the floor beyond.

Buffybot stormed over and leapt the counter in one swift motion. She reached down and lifted him bodily from the floor. “You don’t get to touch my butt. Only Daniel get’s to do that and you are not Daniel. Don’t ever do that again or I’ll do something incredibly unpleasant to you.”

Bruce nodded rapidly. “Okay.”

Daniel stood by and simply smiled. “You can put him down, now.” He said, laying a soft hand on the robot’s arm. “It’s okay.”

Buffybot dropped the boy and turned to Daniel. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want him to touch me.” She buried her face in Daniel’s chest. “I’m sorry.”

He held her and looked at Bruce. “It’s alright. He was just…joking around. He didn’t mean anything by it. You don’t have to worry. He’ll never do it again.”

Buffybot looked at him and smiled. “Thank you for not being mad at me.” She pulled him down and kissed him. “I have to go home now.”

“That’s okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave her a warm smile and brushed an errant lock of blonde hair out of her eyes. “Have a good night.”

“I will.” She said, before turning a burning glare at Bruce. She then moved to clock out and headed out to Faith’s car.

“What was that all about?” Faith asked as the bot climbed in.

“Bruce, the supervisor touched my bottom. I didn’t want him to.”

“Apparently.” Faith said, firing her rig up. “You really like Daniel, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. He’s very nice to me. Most of the people here don’t like me.” Buffybot said, sadly.

“Why?”

“Because they say I make them look bad.” Buffybot lowered her eyes. “I don’t understand. Manny, the manager, says I’m doing very well. He said that I could be management material very quickly.”

Faith chuckled. “Welcome to the workforce, B. I’ll explain why the other employees don’t like you.” She sighed. “They have like, a checklist of everything you’re supposed to do on a daily basis, right?” At Buffybot’s nod, she continued. “And you’re programmed with the skills to succeed at this job. So naturally, you do everything perfectly the way it’s supposed to be done, according to the manager’s wishes, am I right?”

“Yes. Manny said that I’m the best employee he has ever had.”

“That’s the reason why other people don’t like you. You work hard, make sure everything is just right and you can do it fairly quickly. You only need to be shown how to do something once and you’re perfect at it every single time. Some people get pissed off by that.”

“So I should be worse at my job to make friends?” Buffybot asked.

“Absolutely not. See, the people that work most jobs are lazy as hell. They do just what they have to, to get by. Just enough not to get fired. No matter how much money someone makes, they never think they’re getting paid enough. So, they don’t work very hard. You, on the other hand, bust your butt to get the work done. The fact that you do that, and management notices and praises you for it, is why other people don’t really seem to like you. All the people that don’t like you are bad employees and dislike you because you’re a really good employee.”

“So…they’re jealous?” Buffybot asked.

“Now you’re getting it.” Faith said. “Don’t change how you do your job. Now that the top brass are seeing how you handle things, they’re gonna start paying closer attention to how everyone else performs and start replacing the dead weight.”

“I hope they don’t fire Daniel. He’s a really good employee, too.” Buffybot said, sadly. “I would miss working with him.”

“If he’s really good at his job, he won’t get fired. They’d just get rid of the bad people.”

Buffybot smiled. “He’s really good at his job.”

“Oh, word of warning. Amy isn’t a rat anymore.” Faith said. “Red found a spell that worked and turned her back into a human.”

“Okay,” Buffybot said. She suddenly looked crestfallen. “I don’t have to go back into the closet, do I?”

“What? No!” Faith said. “Fuck Amy. That’s your room, now. Bitch can sleep on the couch. Don’t tell her I said that.”

“Okay,” Buffybot said, smiling. “I like my room.”

Spike strolled along the street, pulling a smoke from his pack and lighting it. He took a drag and blew out a smoke ring. He stopped at the edge of an alley and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He went over everything he knew and just thought. He lifted the cigarette up to his mouth and stopped, something suddenly dawning on him. He smiled and headed off.

Willy stood behind the bar, cleaning a glass. He looked up as Spike walked through the door. He ignored the vampire and went back to the task at hand.

Spike moved up to the bar and slammed his hands down on the wooden surface. “I need some information, little man.”

“Go away, Spike,” Willy said. “I know you can’t hurt me.” He looked at the vampire. “Not unless you want a splitting headache.”

Spike sighed heavily. “Look’s like you got me all figured out.” He jumped up onto the bar and behind it, to stand beside the tiny bartender. “The big bad not lookin’ so big and bad these days, huh?” He grabbed a bottle of tequila from the shelf and poured himself a shot. He set the bottle down and lifted the glass. “Can’t say as I blame you.” He slammed the shot and immediately poured another. “This chip in my head, I’m about as dangerous as a school mom with pepper spray.”

Willy snickered. “You’re not even that scary. And that’s seven bucks.”

“Right,” Spike said, pulling a ten dollar bill from his pocket. “Here.” He offered it to Willy. As the man reached for it, Spike pulled it back. “But you see, little man. There’s something you’re not understanding about this here implant of mine. Been living with it quite a while now. Can’t hurt people.” He put the cash away and pulled the cap off the tequila and started slowly pouring it on the bar top.

“What the hell are you doing?” Willy said. He reached for the bottle, but Spike simply gripped the front of his shirt and lifted him from the ground.

“See, mate. I can’t just…pound the information out of you. Chip prevents that. One for the good guys. But see, I’m an expert on bending the rules. I may not be able to just thump you against the wood until I see gray matter.” He emptied the bottle and tossed it across the bar. He then pulled the Zippo out of his pocket and flicked it against his pant leg, producing a flame. “But I can make it one of the most expensive nights of your life.” He looked at the man with a smile. He slowly began lowering the flame to the bar. “What’s it gonna be, mate?”

“Don’t!” Willy snapped. “I just got the place the way I like it.”

“Then I suggest you start talking. Otherwise, we get to see what pretty colors all this alcohol burns in.” Spike said. “Security guard at the museum. Frozen solid. What do you know?”

“It wasn’t none of my regulars. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a demon doing that before.” Willy said as Spike set him back down. “Honest, I haven’t heard of any new big boys from out of town. Whoever or whatever it was hasn’t come through here.”

“Spells,” Spike said. “Anything that could do something like this.”

Willy looked him in the eye. “If that’s where your mind is going, you know just as well as I do who you need to be talking to.”

For a moment Spike stared at him. Slowly his face went sour. “Oh, bloody hell. I hate that bastard.”

“Hey, you and me both,” Willy said. He wiped up the tequila. “Would you really have torched the place?”

Spike just gave him a sinister smile. “What do you think?” He asked, lighting a cigarette.

Willy stared at him. “I don’t know.”

The blonde vampire chuckled. “That’s right, mate.” He turned walked out of the bar. “You don’t.”

The bartender shook his head and looked around the establishment. The patrons all were paying rapt attention to their beverages and deliberately not looking at him. “Some fat lot of help you winos are.” He said to them. No one responded.

Spike left the pub and began patrolling the streets. He knew exactly what he was looking for. To say he didn’t care much for the individual he sought was an understatement. He truly hated the man. But right now, he needed answers and this man, though a shrewd and despicable bastard he might be, he was the one to provide them. Spike also didn’t trust the man as far as he could throw him.

For almost an hour, he moved along the streets and alleyways, just feeling. The dark wizard he was looking for wasn’t the most powerful practitioner out there. He knew for a fact both Willow and Tara were stronger in the magic department, but neither of them were quite as dangerous. He stopped and concentrated for a moment. He could feel the subtle shifting in the magical spectrum. He knew the feeling and understood what it meant. He’d found what he was looking for.

He sighed and stepped through the magical barrier and emerged in a dank, ill-lit waiting room. The walls were a sickly, dingy beige, the carpet was grimy and looked like a vacuum cleaner hadn’t come near it since Kennedy was in office and the furniture was so haggard that even the Goodwill would probably turn it down. Magazines, none newer than the grunge music movement sat scattered about the table. Four clients waited; two men and two women, sat on the sofas looking like strung out junkies. Spike’s face twisted into a mask of disgust. Men like this pissed him off. He got people addicted to the pull of dark magicks and extorted incredible amounts of… whatever he could get out of them to give them their magic fix. Narcotics were by far not the worst thing someone could get addicted to. Being a drug addict usually just ended killing the user. But  _magic_  addiction could have some incredibly horrible side effects. He’s seen people burn down an entire block of flats because the spells went terribly awry.

Suddenly the door opposite the way he came in opened. He sneered as he looked at the man. He was tall, having maybe an inch on the vampire. His face was drawn and gaunt, with a scar bisecting his right eye. His features were framed by a head of short greasy black hair.

An extremely disheveled looking chestnut haired girl sat up on the sofa. “Rack, Rack, it’s my turn.” Her voice was filled with strain.

An average looking dark haired boy moved forward. “No, man, you said I was up.”

The girl sneered at him. “Bull! I’ve been here for hours!”

The wizard gave a smarmy smile to the vampire. “I believe…this gentleman is next.” He said with a grand sweeping gesture toward the back room. “Come on in.”

Spike gave one last look at the pitiful occupants of the room and stepped past the ragged wizard. He gazed around the richly appointed, if shoddy inner sanctum. “Been a long time, Rack.”

The man shut the door and stepped around, keeping out of reach of the vampire. They had history, these two. “Not since Rio, three years ago.” He couldn’t help but smile. “How’d that  _love_  potion work out for you and Drusilla?”

Spike glared at the man. “You know bloody well how it went, you bloody pillock.” He moved toward the man. “Promised to rip what was left of your face off if I ever saw you again.”

Rack didn’t back down. He simply cracked his knuckles as mystical lightning sparked over them. “What’s stopping you?” He asked, snidely.

“You’re not worth effort, anymore, mate. Besides that.” He pulled out a cigarette. “Heart went a different way.”

Rack chuckled, dropping onto the sofa. “I heard. Fell in deep with the slayer. Awful lot of that goin’ around these days. Too bad you weren’t the first.” He grinned. “Oh, that’s right.  _You_  never got there, did you?”

Spike glared at him. “Careful where you step, mate. Or I might rethink you being worth it.”

“Now why aren’t I afraid, Spike?” Rack asked.

It was the blonde vampire’s turn to snicker. “Because you never were that sharp.” He drew a long drag off of his smoke. “See, truth of the matter is,” He quickly reached down and lifted the man from the sofa and turned, slamming him into the wall. Rack was completely shocked by the undead man’s speed. “I’m not exactly sure you’re human, Rack.” He drew closer. “What say I find out the hard way?”

Rack smiled at the vampire. “You forget who you’re dealing with, blondie.” He pressed a hand to the vampire’s chest, loosing a powerful bolt of magic…that did absolutely nothing. His face belied his shock.

Spike grinned menacingly. “See, friend? I didn’t forget who I was dealin’ with.” Spike drew back his fist and slammed it into the wall a hair’s breadth from the man’s head, shattering the plaster and drywall. “Next one goes through your face.” Spike cocked his head. “Don’t know. Might be an improvement.”

“What do you want, Spike?” The man tried to sound defiant, but the fear in his voice was unmistakable.

“You know everything about magic that goes on in this town. Bloke was frozen stiff at the museum tonight. You know how it happened. Tell me and you can keep your face.” He sneered. “What’s left of it.”

Rack swallowed. He knew damn well without his magic, Spike would be able to rip him apart. He had no idea how the so-called chip in the vampire’s head worked. He was a rather gifted wizard. Word was that Spike couldn’t harm humans. But with the magic use, would the chip differentiate? He really didn’t wanna find out. “It, it wasn’t magic.”

Spike slammed him against the wall again. “Don’t bloody lie to me. Men don’t just go all frozen out of thin air, mate. Something caused and I want to know what.”

“I’m not lying to you, man. It wasn’t magic. It was…it was something else.” Rack said.

“What?” Spike growled. “Gettin’ awful tired of askin’.”

“Something…strange. Something different. I’ve…all of us, the underworld, man. We’ve all been feelin’ it. It’s…it’s weak, man, but it’s there. Summoning demons, spells man. Low level stuff. And, and, and science. No one’s takin’ it serious, man. It’s all…it’s all bullshit. Someone’s toyin’ with you, man. Just…trying to have a little fun. Party tricks and streamers.”

Spike dropped him and stepped back. “Bloody wankers.” He said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wad of cash. He tossed it to the wizard. “For the hole in your wall.”

Rack counted out two hundred dollars. “Spike, wait.” The blonde vampire turned back toward him. “How did you counter the spell?”

Spike dug into his pocket and pulled out a small stone. “Deflection Stone.” He tossed it to the man. “Twenty-four ninety-nine at The Magic Box. Buy two get one free. Only has one use, mate. Should have tried another spell. That was the only one I had left.” With that, he left the house.

Rack looked at it and smiled. “I do not envy anyone on the wrong side of that.” He said, tossing the stone aside.

 


	22. Chapter 22

 

Spike looked at his watch as he approached the house. It was just after one in the morning. He took a chance and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Buffybot smiling back at him. “Oh. Hi, Spike.” She said, stepping aside.

He groaned and entered the house. He was not pleased to see the blonde robot. “How are things going for you in the world of fast food?”

She nodded happily. “I’m doing very well. I have a boyfriend now.”

“Look, pet. We talked about this. It isn’t…”

“His name is Daniel,” Buffybot said, cheerfully.

“That’s good,” Spike said. “Wait, what?” He had to do a double-take. “You’re actually dating someone?”

She nodded. “He’s really sweet. We’ve been on two dates now and he really likes me.”

“He know you’re a…you know?”

“He knows I’m a robot. And he’s okay with it. He thinks it’s neat.” Buffybot sat on the sofa and watched television. “Why are you here?”

“Needed to talk to Faith and the Glindas. Figured out what caused the discount Bobbie to get all flash frozen.” Spike said, sitting down on the sofa. “So this new boy you’re with…”

“Daniel,” Buffybot said. “He’s a good man. He thinks the world of me and doesn’t mind what I am.”

Spike had to admit, that while he was glad that the blonde robot didn’t make off-handed comments about his…about him, he was somewhat saddened. He’d had the bot built specifically for his own personal needs. He enjoyed the time he spent with her. He knew deep down that she wasn’t what he really wanted and gave her up to the group to help with Glory and to take up the slack when Buffy passed away. But somewhere inside, he still felt like she was his. And to know that she was now pursuing someone that wasn’t him and seemed  _happy_  about it? Well…it kind of hurt a little. “Well, I’m glad for you.” He said, honestly. He was glad for her, if not a little jealous. “The girls in bed?” He asked her.

Buffybot nodded. “I could go and wake them up if you’d like.”

He rose to his feet. “No. I’ll just go and catch a little bit of sleep myself on the cot in the basement.”

“You can’t,” Buffybot said. “That’s where Amy is sleeping.”

“The rat girl?” Spike asked. “Didn’t know she was back among the…non rodents.”

Buffybot moved from the sofa. “If you want, you can have the sofa. I can go and watch television in my room.”

He smiled at her. “Appreciate it, love.” He said to her. “And pet?” She turned to look at him. “You’re doin’ good.”

She offered him a soft smile and quietly ascended the stairs. He leaned back on the sofa and sighed. “Things are definitely changin’.” He said. He stretched out on the sofa and relaxed. He closed his eyes and drifted off. It had been a long night.

Faith was the first one up, as usual, and gently extricated herself from the pair of beautiful witches. She took a quick shower and went downstairs to get everyone’s day started. She stopped when she saw Spike passed out on the sofa. She smiled and went into the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee.

She turned the oven on to let it preheat. She took out the collection of lunchmeats and cheeses that she’d bought the last time they went shopping. She took the bread out and gathered the stone ground brown mustard and Miracle Whip. She then set about preparing a nice Roast Beef and Smoked Cheddar Sandwich for Dawn, a Cured ham and Pepper Jack for Tara and lastly a Roasted Chicken and Medium Cheddar for Willow. All three sandwiches were treated with mustard and spread. To each girl’s lunch, she added a banana, a small snack size bag of chips, Cheetos for Dawn, plain Lays for Tara and Sour Cream and Onion for Willow. Lastly, she added a small cup of chocolate pudding to the bags. Jotted their names on all three and put them in the fridge.

Then she grabbed bacon, eggs and frozen shredded Hashbrowns from the fridge and freezer before firing up the large electric griddle. She added a small bit of oil to the pan and waited for it to heat up.

She pulled the massive broiler pans out and laid the bacon out on them, placing them in the oven and setting the timer. She then went about pouring the Hashbrowns out onto the griddle and patiently manned them. She grinned as she heard the alarms in both rooms and the subsequent complaining that came with it being too early. She moved over, pulling the bread out and began making toast.

Tara, being a farm raised girl, was the first to make her way to the kitchen. She moved over and gave Faith a sensual kiss. “Good morning.” She said, softly.

“It’s definitely looking up. Have a seat and I’ll get you some breakfast.” Faith said, motioning to the stool. Having cooked breakfast for the girls for over a month, she knew exactly how everyone liked their food. She quickly scrambled up a pair of eggs, then added some Hashbrowns and, after pulling the bacon from the oven, placed a few slices on the plate. She topped it off with two pieces of toast and a mug of coffee with cream and sugar. “There you go.”

Tara smiled brightly at her and began eating. “Thank you.”

Faith gave her a like smile and began plating Willow’s food. The girl preferred her eggs sunny side up. So she cooked them to order and gave her meal the same treatment as Tara’s, with the exception of a glass of orange juice instead of coffee.

The redhead, much like Tara, pulled Faith in for a warm kiss. “Good morning, sweetie.” She said, taking the plate and sitting down.

“Mornin’.” Faith returned. She chuckled as she heard the thundering feet of the youngest house member. “And here comes trouble.” She said, frying up the over easy eggs. She put them on the plate with the Hashbrowns and bacon. She added the toast before the plate disappeared from her hand.

Dawn was seated and tearing into her food by the time Faith turned around. The teen kicked her feet and bobbed in her seat. “Mmm.” She said, eating. “This is good.”

“Coffee or juice?” Faith asked the teen. She didn’t like the idea of Dawn drinking coffee, but to deny her would be the pot calling the kettle black.

“Juice, please,” Dawn said between bites. She took a sip as soon as Faith handed her the glass.

“Alright.” Faith said as she dished up her plate. “So what’s the deal with Amy?”

Willow just looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“She livin’ here or what?” Faith asked. “I mean, I ain’t got a problem with it, but…what are we gonna do? We gonna leave her in the house alone all day or…?” She stood against the counter eating her breakfast.

“I…I haven’t really thought about it. I mean…” Willow turned to Tara. “What do you think?”

“I can actually go back and stay with my dad,” Amy said from the basement door.

“It’s nothin’ against you.” Faith said. “I’m just paranoid by nature.”

Amy shook her head. “It’s no problem. I’m just still getting used to things. A little jumpy.” She took the plate of food Faith handed her. “Thanks.”

“How’s your dad gonna feel about that? You were gone a while.” Dawn said.

“Dad’s pretty oblivious. I’ll tell him I was staying at mom’s parent's place. He doesn’t talk to them, but it’s just because he doesn’t have anything in common with them. He won’t question it. I’ll tell him that we discussed it after graduation.”

“Smart.” Faith said. “Or stupid, depending on how you look at it.”

“I do appreciate what you all did for me. Letting me stay here to adjust.” She said, sheepishly. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“I got an idea.” Faith said. “Hey, Red? Today’s Friday. You got a pretty light load on classes today, right?”

“Yeah. I just have a morning class and another at one.” Willow offered.

“Can you blow ‘em off? Take Amy out and give her a chance to get back into the groove?”

Willow bit her lip and looked at Amy. The girl looked expectant. She then turned to Tara. “Do you think…?”

“It’s only two classes. You’re one of the star students. I think your teachers would forgive one day.” Tara said, patting the girl’s arm.

Willow smiled and regarded Amy. “You wanna hang out with me today?”

“I’d love to.”

“Good. It’s all settled then.” Faith said. She looked at her watch and pulled out a pair of large travel mugs. She filled one with black coffee for her and another with cream and sugar for Tara. “Alright ramblers. Let’s get ramblin’.” She said, handing one of the mugs to Tara. She kissed the redhead goodbye. “Do you need any cash?”

Willow pulled out her wallet and sighed. “I’m flat broke.”

Faith took out a pair of hundred dollar bills. “Have fun today.” She said, kissing her again. She then looked at Amy. “You take care of our girl, now.”

The chestnut haired witch smiled. “I will.”

Faith tossed the keys to Tara and turned to run upstairs. She knocked on the bedroom door and waited a moment.

“Come in,” Buffybot said happily. She sat on her bed in a pair of pink panties and a white cotton bra watching television. “Hi, Faith.”

“Just lettin’ you know we’re heading out. Spike’s asleep on the sofa…”

“He came in last night. He said he knows what caused the frozen security guard at the museum.”

“Good to know. Willow’s taking the day off and takin’ Amy out for some fun. Let her get used to being human again.” Faith smiled. “If you wanna have Daniel over today, it’d be alright.”

Buffybot brightened. “That would be fun.”

“Just…make sure Spike is gone before you do.” Faith said. “That might be a little awkward.”

“I will. Bye Faith.” Buffybot said, smiling.

The brunette slayer turned and sprinted through the house to the garage. Tara sat in the passenger seat speaking with Dawn. Faith ran and slid across the hood, climbing into the car.

“All you’re missing is an orange Dodge Charger,” Dawn said, giggling.

“Nice car, crappy show. Even crappier movie.” Faith said, firing the car up. “Killer soundtrack, though.”

“Seems to be a thing,” Dawn said. “Lot of movies out lately that suck, but have good soundtracks.”

Faith nodded as she backed out of the garage. She dropped Dawn off first, wishing her a good day. She handed her a ten dollar bill. “Grab a coffee or something with lunch.” She said, hugging the girl. “Pick you up after school.”

“That’s cool,” Dawn said, waving. She turned and trotted up to Janice.

Faith climbed back in and sighed. “She’s growin’ up quick.”

Tara nodded as the pair watched Dawn walk into the school. “Soon th-there’s gonna be  _boys_.” She said, looking at Faith with a grin.

The slayer slowly turned her eyes to the smiling witch. “That isn’t funny.” She drove away from the high school toward the college. “Maybe she’ll find a nice girlfriend.”

“A girl like you?” Tara asked.

“I said a  _nice_  girlfriend.” Faith said, chuckling.

“You are nice, Faith. You just don’t know it.” Tara said. “You’ve gotten up every morning since you moved in and made breakfast for everyone in the house. You make sure our laundry is done. You do the lion’s share of the housework and you do most of the grocery shopping. Not to mention training Dawn, patrolling, and keeping the finances straight. You are a wonderful girlfriend.”

Faith shrugged as she drove. “I just don’t think that you or Red should have to worry about that kind of shit. You guys shouldn’t have to concern yourselves with anything but your educations. Besides that, it’s not like I work all that hard.”

“You fight demons for a living and work twenty-five hours a week at a construction site.” Tara offered.

“I enjoy fighting vampires and the construction work isn’t actually that difficult. It’s just a lot of schlepping. Nothing complicated. Not like I’m riggin’ explosives or anything.”

“Why do you do that?” Tara asked.

“Do what?” Faith asked, curious.

“Why do you downplay what you do? You don’t see being a slayer as that big a deal, but it is. You don’t see what you do around the house as being all that helpful, but it’s a godsend. You can’t stand people thanking you for the things you do. I’ve seen you when you’ve patrolled. When you save someone and they thank you for it, you get uncomfortable. Why?”

The girl shrugged. “I don’t know. I just…I don’t know why I don’t like it. Something in my brain just gets wiggins when people thank me for shit I was gonna do anyway.”

“Alright. The slaying I get. It’s what you were born to do. But the cleaning? The cooking? The working? You plan on doing all that anyway?”

Faith sighed. “Why does it matter, really? I do it and that’s that. I don’t know why I do it. I just…if it needs to be done, I’m gonna do it. You and Red go to school, come home and do an assload of homework. You two don’t have the time or the energy to dust shit, do dishes and laundry. I mean yeah, I suppose we could get Robo B in on that, but Red has a hard enough time getting her to do her job at the DMP. So I just do what needs doing. I don’t really see a reason not to.”

“And yet, you’re uncomfortable when we thank you for it,” Tara said.

“Is what it is.” Faith said. “I mean, I appreciate that you guys appreciate it, but gratitude isn’t why I do it.”

“I’m sure it isn’t,” Tara said. “But you do have our gratitude all the same.”

Faith smiled. “It  _is_  nice, I’m not gonna lie. Maybe it’s something you guys can help me get over.”

“We’re trying, Faith.” Tara offered softly. She exited the car after Faith pulled to a stop in front of the college. “Have a good day at work. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Later, T-bear.” Faith said, waving to the woman. She made sure Tara got into the building before taking off toward the construction site. She was going to be half hour early, but she was okay with that.

 

Willow sat behind the wheel of the Jeep and looked over at Amy. “Where did you wanna go?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere fun. Anything…not involving a big wheel.” The girl said, smiling.

“The Bronze?” Willow asked. “We can dance and, and talk and stuff.”

“It’s a start,” Amy said, chipper.

The pair pulled up to the club and Willow paid the cover before stepping inside. The music was provided by an entirely forgettable alternative emo band. Willow, for the life of her, couldn’t remember what they were called. “Wanna shoot some pool?” The redhead asked.

“Sure.” Amy returned. They ordered a pair of drinks from the bar and made their way to the pool table and quickly racked the balls. As Willow reached for a pool cue, Amy put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Willow. We’re witches. We don’t need those.”

Willow looked at her, furrowing her brow. “Um…you kinda need one to play pool.”

Amy shook her head and stepped back to the front of the table. She knelt down and looked at the cue ball. “I’ll break.” She said, before nodding at the ball. The white sphere smacked into the collected balls, sending them scattering. She sank two striped and smiled. “Looks like you’re solids.” She then took her next shot and missed. “Your turn.”

Willow bit her lip and looked at the table. “I-I don’t use…I mean I’m not supposed to just use magic like that.”

“Why not? You have the power, use it. Besides, it’s just pool. What’s it gonna hurt?” Amy said. “It’s easy.”

The redhead thought a moment. “Okay.” She said, looking at the cue ball and propelling it forward, immediately sinking a solid. “Neat.” She said, smiling. The girls sunk into a rhythm as they talked. “A lot has changed.” Willow offered.

“Like the dorkiest boy in school getting married,” Amy said, waiting for Willow’s turn.

“I know. Xander engaged. I couldn’t believe it either.” She took another shot.

Amy just shook her head. “That’s so weird.” She took her shot. “So what’s she like?”

Willow studied the table a moment. “Thousand-year-old capitalist ex-demon with a rabbit phobia.” She moved around Amy.

“That is so his type.” She said as she watched the redhead sink another ball.

As they checked the angles on the table, a pair of boys moved up to the pair. “Hey.” One of them said, smiling widely.

“Hey,” Willow said, nonchalantly. She immediately went back to the game.

Amy turned and smiled brightly. “Hey.” She said, moving closer. The boy leaned down and whispered something in her ear. “Well, let’s go then.” She turned to Willow. “We’re gonna go dance. Do you wanna come?”

Willow shook her head. “Oh, uh, no, you go. I’ll keep an eye on our drinks.”

Amy looked at her thoughtfully. “Okay. I mean, because, if you want something a little more your style…” She looked to an incredibly beautiful dark haired woman chatting with an attractive blonde. As Willow turned and looked, Amy gave a sinister grin. “I’m sure we can swing that.” She snapped her fingers.

The brunette turned and eyed Willow up and down. Her eyes, her hair, and her shape, immediately made the witch clench in places not spoken about in polite company. But it wasn’t the girl in front of her that she was thinking of. It was the striking similarities the woman shared with Faith. They had the same sensuality, but Faith seemed more…predatory. Willow turned back to Amy. “No, really, no.”

The woman got up and walked over, her hip’s swaying as she moved. Willow had to give her credit. She had a swagger that would make Cordelia jealous. The boys looked on, their eyes wide with interest. Willow was suddenly very nervous. “Hi.” The woman said, seductively. “Brie.” She offered her hand to the girl.

“Willow.” The redhead said, nervously. “Nice…um…top.” She turned back to Amy. Shaking her head. “No. Thanks, but no.”

“You sure?” Amy asked her.

“Yes. I’m…she’s…I’m taken.” Willow said. “Kinda twice.”

Amy shook her head. “It’s cool.” She snapped her fingers again.

Brie suddenly looked confused. “Oh, uh, sorry.” She turned and walked back to where she was sitting, trying to placate the angry blonde woman.

“So, uh, are we gonna go?” The boy said, looping his arm with Amy’s.

The girl looked back at Willow. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?” She asked.

“Oh yeah, go. I’m all kinds of good.” Willow said, breathing easier. She watched the girl dance away with the pair of guys and smiled. “I wish Faith and Tara were here.” She said, somewhat despondently. She made her way to the bar and ordered another drink. She stole a few looks at Amy before going back to her drink. She sat quietly through a pair of songs, sipping her martini before ordering another one. She took the toothpick with the olive on it and rolled the pimento up. “No use looking at me like that. It’s the gullet for you, mister.” She took the olive into her mouth and ate it quickly.

Amy made her way back to the bar. “Hey! Sorry, I kinda got caught up.” She took a sip from her own martini.

Willow shook her head. “No, it’s okay.”

Amy looked down at the glass and thought a moment. “You know…if rats could dance? They probably wouldn’t gnaw so much.”

Willow chuckled and nodded. She looked past Amy as the pair of boys moved up to them. “Hey, come on. We’re just getting started.” The first boy offered, dancing a little.

Amy looked at Willow and shook her head. “I think I’m gonna sit this one out.”

The second guy grabbed Amy. “Nuh-uh! You can’t, you can’t just work us up like that and then just…”

“Hey!” Amy snapped, moving away from them.

Willow narrowed her eyes and looked at the pair. “I think she said no.” Her voice was dead calm.

The boy who grabbed Amy gave Willow a dismissive glare. “Well, nobody asked you …Ellen.” The pair snickered at their own joke.

Amy and Willow exchanged a look and turned back to the boys. “You wanna dance?” Amy asked.

The first boy nodded. “That’s all. Nice, slow…relaxing dance.”

The girls looked at each other again, sharing a shrug. They both then gestured at the boys, summoning their inner strength.

In a heartbeat, the pair of boys were stripped to just a skimpy loincloth. They stood in go-go cages several feet above everyone’s heads and both began to dance although their faces looked shocked and appalled.

The pair of witches smiled giddily. “Gee,” Willow said, contentedly.

“I think I do feel more relaxed,” Amy said, cocking her head to look at the pair.

 


	23. Chapter 23

 

Spike yawned and opened his eyes, starting as he saw Buffybot standing over him staring. “Jeez, pet. Don’t scare a bloke like that.”

“You have to leave,” Buffybot said, her tone neutral.

“Something wrong?” Spike said, rising to his feet stretching. “Where is everyone?”

“Faith is at work. Willow took Amy someplace. Not really sure where they went. Tara and Dawn are at school. You have to leave.” She added again.

“Heard ya the first time,” Spike said. “Why, just out of curiosity?”

“Faith said I could have Daniel over and I don’t want you here when he gets here.”

Spike wasn’t sure what to think or feel about the statement. He did agree with the blonde robot, however. He really didn’t want to be around if – when the pair decided to get…physical. “Then I’ll be on my way.” He said, nodding. “I’ll stop by later tonight to talk to the ladies. Have fun with your boy toy.” He moved to the closet and pulled out the heavy black motorcycle helmet and gloves.

Buffybot watched him and moved over, touching his arm. “Spike.”

He turned to regard her. “What?”

“I’m…I’m sorry.” She said to him.

“For what?” He asked her.

“You had me made. You wanted me. You’re the reason I exist.” She sighed. Despite the wholly unnecessary gesture, it was very human. “I’m sorry I’m not who,  _what_  you wanted me to be.”

Spike stared at her a moment. He then pulled her in and kissed her. Not a deep, passion-filled kiss that both knew him capable of, but a soft brushing of the lips. The kiss of a love shared and put to rest, but never forgotten. “You were everything I needed, when I needed it, pet. There was never anything wrong with you. I was a fool for loving where I had no place loving. Even though I was never always there for you, you loved me like no one could have. And that love was real.” He tapped her chest. “No matter what it might be made of, you still have a heart. And you opened that to me.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “And I’m sorry I couldn’t open mine to you.” With that, he placed the helmet on, buttoned up his coat, pulled the gloves on and left the house.

Buffybot stood there, watching him walk away. She shut and locked the door and moved back up, sitting on the bed. She lay back down and didn’t make the phone call. Suddenly, she wasn’t in the mood.

 

Xander stood beside Tony with a huge grin on his face. “Five hundred bucks on Faith.” He said, crossing his arms.

The site foreman looked at him and back to the brunette girl. He’d seen Faith do some incredible things in the time she’d been working for him. “I don’t know man. That’s an S-100 Bobcat. It’s got over a thousand pounds of lifting capacity. I mean, Faith’s a strong chick, but…”

Xander shrugged. “Put your money where your mouth is.”

He rubbed his chin and nodded, offering his hand. “You got a deal.”

Xander took it and smiled. “Easiest money I ever made.”

The workers were all gathered around, taking a much-needed break from the work to watch a hell of a spectacle. Faith waited patiently as Hector secured her feet to the large pieces of girder. She’d made the boast that she could out lift the small Bobcat they had on site. None of the boys believed her. She had a hundred dollars on it and was a twelve to one underdog. She agreed to do a tug of war with the little machine. The most the vehicle had lifted thus far was just over fourteen hundred pounds. Four hundred beyond its suggested operating capacity. It routinely did so. Faith had never been seen carrying more than three to four hundred pounds.

“Are we good?” She asked the large Hispanic man.

“Yup.” He said, offering his fist. “Good luck.”

She bumped it without hesitation. “Just make sure to get my c-note ready, bud.” She checked to see if she could move her feet. Given that the tiny rig could drag her hundred and forty pound ass all across the yard, she was allowed to anchor herself. It would just be a test of physical strength. She had to hold the chain and keep the vehicle from pulling her free of the straps that held her. She knew what she was doing was pretty damn dangerous. She’d made the promise to Tony that she wouldn’t file any kind of claim if she stupidly hurt herself. That was pretty much the only reason that he was allowing this to happen. That and he kind of wanted to know if she was telling the truth or just blowing sunshine up everyone’s asses.

The driver of the Bobcat made sure the chain was tightly fitted to the back of the rig. Faith likewise wrapped a tow strap around her waist and connected the chain to a u-hook and screwed it together. “I’m good.” She said, giving the driver a thumbs up.

He nodded and climbed into the tractor. He fired it up and let it idle.

“Alright. The clock starts as soon as the chain goes taught. You gotta hold it for thirty seconds.” Tony said to her.

She smiled and nodded. “You boys might wanna get your cameras out. This is gonna be a hell of a show. And when it’s over, make sure you pay up.”

They all pulled phones out to film it. Faith looked at the guy behind wheel and motioned for him to go. She then gripped the chain in her gloved hands and prepared herself.

The boys all held their breaths as the slack in the chain disappeared. Tony started the stopwatch. The tractor was immediately halted in its tracks as Faith leaned back, gripping the chain like a vise. She grimaced as the muscles in her arms, shoulders and chest tightened. She took a brief second and wrapped her arms, one at a time in the chain. The tires of the Bobcat began to spin as it fought for traction.

“No fucking way,” Tony said. “You have got to be kidding.”

“I told you,” Xander said. “She’s a badass.”

Faith leaned back further and began, inch by inch, to pull the piece of equipment backward, hand over hand. Her arms burned with the strain, but she wasn’t the type to just give up. “Come to Faithy, you son of a bitch.” She growled, dragging the machine back.

After a torturous eternity – and having dragged the Bobcat the better part of ten feet – Tony called time.

Faith let go and flopped onto her back, breathing heavily. “Jesus Christ.” She said, staring at the blue sky.

Xander and Hector ran over and freed her feet, letting her legs drop. “That was awesome.” Xander said, kneeling next to her.

“I just made ninety-six hundred dollars.” Faith said, grinning. “And I think I tore a muscle in my shoulder.” She said, grimacing. “Christ, this hurts.” She flexed her left shoulder.

“It’s swelling up pretty bad.” Xander said. “But it’s almost two. You’re off anyway. You’ll be fine by Monday, right?”

She nodded, before bringing her knees up and kicking herself to her feet. She looked to the boys around the construction site and held her hand out. “Awful lotta cash coming my way, methinks.”

“Fuck, man.” Hector said. “Remind me never to piss you off.” He handed her twelve one hundred dollar bills. “I’m gonna be eatin’ ramen and peanut butter for the rest of the month.”

She sighed and handed him back two hundred dollars. “I ain’t gonna break you, dude.” All told, after everyone paid up, she ended up with eight grand even. “Tell you guys what? Barbecue Sunday afternoon. My place. Steaks and beer on me. What do you say?”

“Hell yeah.” They all shouted, happily.

Xander looked at Tony. “Five hundred bucks.” He said, likewise holding his hand out. “I love the way that sounds.”

“Yeah, I’ll just bet you do.” He slapped the money into Xander’s palm. “Girl’s a freak.”

“And damn proud of it.” Faith said. “I’m outta here, hoss.”

“Alright. Have a good weekend. I’ll see you Sunday. Should we bring anything?”

“Yeah. That sexy man-ass of yours.” Faith said, slapping his butt. “Looks good in jeans, bud.”

He laughed and shook his head. “See you then.” He turned the crew. “Back to work, ladies.”

Faith left and immediately headed to the local pizzeria. She ordered thirty pizzas total with several bottles of soda. She dropped almost five hundred dollars after directing it to be delivered to the construction site at four-thirty sharp.

She then drove to the high school to pick up Dawn. As she sat, she rubbed her sore shoulder. She could feel the pain subsiding already. Not for the first time, she thanked the slayer healing.

 

Willow leaned on the banister in the upper level of the Bronze, looking down on the dancing crowd with Amy beside her. The same band continued to play. The boys were still in the go-go cages dancing away. Several of the people were in costume, dressed as things such as strawberry, wearing some sort of strange mask and who knows what else.

“You know, this music isn’t quite…” Willow said, gesturing. Suddenly, the band simply …changed to become the band members of the Halo Friendlies. She sighed and smiled, resting her chin in her palm.

Amy giggled and likewise gestured. A white-clad figure appeared and floated about, looking a little confused before shrugging and dancing along, airborne, with the music.

Willow motioned with her hand and two boys, standing side by side began shrinking and growing respectively. She chuckled to herself as they began to freak out.

Amy wiggled her fingers and several of the dancers become bleating sheep. The pair laughed at the spectacle, and simply watched the mayhem. It was a nice change just to cut loose with their magic.

“So…we’ve kinda played this scene,” Willow said, sounding bored.

Amy nodded. “Yeah.” She said, looking around.

Willow waved her hand. “Return.” With a wash of magical energy, everything was turned back to normal. The band became the emo boredom it started out as. The boys in the go-go cages were suddenly clothed, standing by the bar, just looking around confused. They spied a pair of cute girls and immediately set off in pursuit.

“We should probably head out,” Willow said, standing up.

“Where should we go next?” Amy asked.

“I gotta head home,” Willow said, looking at her watch. “Tara’s gonna be getting home from school soon.”

“It’s way too early to go home yet,” Amy said, grinning.

Willow sighed. “Look, I know you wanna go have more fun and all, but I-I can’t. I’ve got things I gotta get done. I gotta help Tara get dinner started and have to make sure Dawn gets her homework done.”

Amy giggled. “You sound like a mother.”

“Some days…” Willow said. “Don’t worry, it’s the weekend. We can do something fun tomorrow, I promise.”

Amy shrugged. “Fair enough.” She said, following the girl out of the club.

Tara gathered her books and left the campus building heading toward the street to catch the bus that would take her home.

“Hey, sexy? Need a ride?”

Tara turned to see Faith behind the wheel of her Roadrunner, keeping pace with her. Tara smiled brightly and moved to climb into the passenger side. As she slid in, she leaned over and kissed the slayer. She then turned and offered a soft smile to Dawn. “I th-thought you would be at the Magic Box, training.”

“Nah. Not tonight. Screwed my shoulder up showing off at work.” Faith said, flexing her arm to work out some of the stiffness.

“What happened?” Tara asked, suddenly concerned.

“Oh, it’s nothing bad. Just pulled a muscle in my left shoulder. It’s already just kinda stiff and sore right now. Hurt like the blazes when it happened, but it’s been almost an hour and a half and it’s starting to feel a lot better.”

“What did you do to hurt yourself?” Tara asked.

“Got into a tug of war with a Bobcat.” Faith said, heading for the house.

“There was a wild animal at your work site?” Tara asked.

Dawn giggled, but Faith shook her head. “No. Not that kind of Bobcat. A piece of heavy machinery. Think of it as a really small bulldozer.”

“You got into a tug of war with a bulldozer?” Tara was dumbfounded.

She started when Dawn reached around in front of her and showed her a picture on her phone. “Kinda like that.”

“Oh. I’ve seen one of those before.” She looked at Faith. “Did you win?”

“Yeah.” Faith said. “Dragged the thing over a dozen feet as it kept trying to move forward. Made eight grand. Wiped a lot of the guys from the site out, but that’s what they get for underestimating me. Oh, word of warning. We’re having a barbecue at our place on Sunday. I invited the guys from the site over for steaks and beer. Figured it’s the least I can do for putting them all in the poor house.”

“How many people?” Tara asked, nervously.

“Couple dozen.” Faith said. “Don’t sweat it. I’m not makin’ anything fancy. Just some spud salad and steaks.”

“I suppose that should be alright.” Tara said. “I think I pulled out a couple pounds of hamburger.”

“I can bust out some meatloaf.” Faith offered.

“No. You worked your butt off today and you hurt yourself. I’ll make dinner. I’ll make beef meatballs and spaghetti.”

“Then we gotta make a pit stop.” Faith said. “Gotta have cheesy garlic bread.” She looked at Tara. “It’s just a thing. Right squirt?”

“Oh yeah,” Dawn said, happily. “Definitely a thing.”

It was just after four when Faith pulled into the garage. Everyone climbed out and headed into the house. The black Jeep came into the driveway as the garage door closed. Faith and Tara were putting the groceries away when Willow and Amy came into the house. Both were happy and smiling.

“Did you guys have fun?” Faith asked.

“Willow!” Amy said, excitedly. “She’s a freaking amazing witch now.” Tara immediately got upset. Faith, however just listened intently. “I couldn’t even keep up with her today.”

Willow grimaced a little and turned to the girl. “Amy…”

“No, it’s true!” Amy said, looking directly at the pair. “I mean, I can do _some_ transmography, but she is messing with dimensions and everything, it was awesome! This blowhard dude, first she made his mouth disappear? Thank god. And then…” She saw the reaction on Tara’s face and stopped suddenly. “I’m talking too much. Sorry. It’s just been…you know…me and a bag of pellets for the last few years, so…”

“No. It’s cool.” Faith said. “I’m just glad you two had a good time.” She looked at Willow. “You didn’t hurt anyone or, you know…open a gateway to hell or anything did you?”

“What?” Willow asked. “No!”

“Oh.” Faith shrugged. “Then we’re cool.” She went back to what she was doing.

Tara, however, wasn’t so forgiving. She just looked at Willow sadly and turned away from her, trying to form meatballs with her shaking hands. Faith leaned over to her. “You forgot to season the meat, T-bear.” She grasped the girl’s shoulder and paused when she saw tears flowing down her cheeks. “Aw, shit.” She looked back to Amy. “Can you give us the room for a few minutes?”

“Sure. Mind if I um…use your shower?” She asked, sheepishly.

“Yeah, knock yourself out.” Faith said. She waited till the girl left and looked at Tara. “What’s up, T-bear?”

The Wiccan shook her head, trying to work with the hamburger.

“Tara…I’m sorry. I just…I got carried away.” Willow said, moving up to the girl.

“What the hell is going on?” Faith asked. “Why are you so pissed off, Tara?”

“The magic.” She said, softly. “I just…” She turned to look at Willow. “How could you?”

“I said I was sorry. I didn’t plan, I mean…I didn’t do anything that would hurt people.”

“That’s not the point,” Tara said. “You don’t respect the power. You don’t really understand what it can do.”

“Okay, stop.” Faith said. “Will one of you, I really don’t care who at this point, please tell me what the hell is going on?”

“I used magic today,” Willow said, dejectedly.

“Okay.” Faith said, looking from one girl to the other. “So?”

“So?!” Tara shot back. “She’s just using it willy-nilly. She’s going to hurt someone.”

Faith raised an eyebrow. “How? From sounds of it, she just blew off a little steam. Nothing wrong with that. It’s no different than when B and I sparred with each other back in the day. Just workin’ out some frustration. No harm, no foul. Besides, I thought we had this handled at Xan’s engagement party.”

“Apparently not,” Willow snipped.

Faith gave her a sharp warning look, but Tara ignored her, responding to Faith’s initial statement. “How can you say that?” She asked.

“Look,” Willow said, suddenly defensive. “Just because you’re afraid of magic doesn’t mean I have to be!”

“Whoa, Red. Cool, the engines, sweetheart. No one’s attacking you. Don’t get all defensive.”

“How can you say that she isn’t attacking me?” Willow turned from Faith to Tara. “I don’t respect the power. I’m gonna hurt someone. Sounds like an attack to me.”

“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t use magic, Willow. Your power is tied to your emotions. The angrier you get the more powerful you become. And when you’re mad, you have less control.” Tara said, pleading.

“Yeah, well…I was plenty powerful today and you know what? I wasn’t mad at all.” Willow narrowed her eyes. “At least not until now.”

“I swear to fucking god, if you two start a witchy throwdown in this kitchen I will knock both of you the fuck out.” Faith said. “I don’t care how strong either of you are, neither of you are faster than me.” She was done with the civil bullshit. “Now calm the fuck down, right now.” She looked at Willow and pointed to the stool. “Sit.” Willow hesitated a moment. “Don’t make me tell you again.” The redhead did as she was told. She looked to Tara. “Ass to counter, cross your arms.” The blonde did as instructed. “Now. Tara, I want you to explain to me, in great detail, why you think magic, in any form, is a horrendous thing.”

“I-I don’t. Magic is fine. It’s wonderful if used for the right reasons.”

“And would you list those reasons for me, please?” Faith asked.

“Helping people. Defending the weak and helpless. For the greater good.” Tara said, meekly.

“Why do you think that?” The slayer leaned against the island, crossing her arms.

“It’s just…magic isn’t a toy. It isn’t something to be used for…for personal gain. Yes, I have done so before, but I never did it lightly and did so sparingly. I’ve never just used magic because I could.”

“Okay.” Faith said. “So your  _personal_  belief is that magic should be used only when absolutely necessary?” At Tara’s nod, Faith continued. “I’m not gonna compare magic to my slayer abilities because it’s not like I can choose to turn those off. But I am gonna ask you this. Do you require Willow to believe the same way you do? Does she have  _any_  choice on how she chooses to view magic?”

Tara bit her lip. She knew what Faith was doing. If she said no, that gave Willow her permission to use magic whenever she felt like it. If she said yes, she was a domineering control freak. She had to give the slayer credit. It was a fair question, but it was also an extremely loaded one. Either way she answered, she was wrong. “That’s not fair.” She said, lowering her eyes.

“I know.” Faith said. “And that’s precisely my point.” Tara and Willow both looked at her. “What you’re doing to Red is just as unfair. She’s using magic because it’s something she enjoys doing. She made sure she was careful. She didn’t do anything to hurt anyone. There was no damage done. She has the gift of magic and wanted to use it.” She looked to Willow. “Have you ever done something like this before?” The redhead shook her head. “And how long have you been doing spells?”

“Since I did the spell to give Angel his soul back. Just before Buffy sent him to hell. I was studying quite a bit before that, though.” Willow offered.

“Okay, that was what? Four years damn near?” Faith looked to Tara. “She’s been able to give some serious witch-fu since then and this is the first time she just let her hair down and ran with it. It was fun to her. There’s no reason to ball her out for it.”

“But…”

“I understand why you’re hesitant to use your power.” Faith said. “You were brought up believing your magic was evil. Your mom was ye on uber-badass when it came to magic and you ain’t no slouch either. But you not only respect the magic. You fear it. And because of that, you see any use of it as bad and wrong, unless someone’s life is on the line. There’s nothing wrong with feeling that way, T-bear. But that’s you. Red shouldn’t be made to feel that way. Yeah, she should be careful. She should make sure nothing she does is going to hurt someone.” She looked at Willow. “And I think, in consideration of her girlfriend’s feelings, she should be a  _bit_  more sparing and not going on routine day long casting benders…” She looked at each girl. “Using the magic isn’t a bad thing. It’s just…a thing.” Faith smiled. “Tara? Maybe you should go with Amy and Willow next time they wanna go and have some fun. Throw a couple spells around just to have some fun with it. Relax a little. The purpose isn’t to not use any magic at all. The point is to respect it like you said.”

“But that isn’t me,” Tara said. “I’m not like that. I don’t wanna get used to enjoying the magic. Because the more of it you do, the more you’ll want to.”

“That’s true.” Faith said. “The same can be said for a lot of things. The more you get, the more you want. Kind of like German chocolate cake. I love it. I could eat it all damn day. But I know it’s bad for me. So I don’t eat it all the damn time. But that doesn’t mean I can’t buy one every now and again and just get down with it. Magic is like that. All things in moderation.”

Tara stared at Faith long and hard. She was stone cold afraid of her magic. She feared what it could do, not just to her, but to others if she lost control. But at the same time, her mother taught her absolute control of her power. It was the first lessons they worked on together. And despite her misgivings about Willow’s activities throughout the day, the redhead did show incredible discipline by not doing anything lasting. She just cast a few spells to have some fun. That proved that Willow had near as makes no difference the same degree of control that Tara did. Willow was unrefined in her power, sure, but she could harness it fairly well. Today proved that.

And if Amy was touting her magical chops, being someone that had been into magic since she was a child, was saying something. Tara looked at Willow. “I want you to promise me something.”

“Anything,” Willow said, softly.

“We work, one hour every night to teach you better control. And you promise me you won’t do things like this all the time. I don’t want you using magic for everything.” She held up a hand to stop Willow. “I know you don’t currently and I love you for that. But I wasn’t lying. The more power you have, the more you’ll be itching to use it.”

“I promise.” Willow said, moving over and resting her hands on her girlfriends’ hips. “If you’ll help me, I’ll try to be better with it. But I had  _fun_  Tara. I’m also burned out. I’m tired, I’m achy.” She furrowed her brow. “And I was laughing so much, I think I ate a fly.”

“I ain’t kissing you till you brush your teeth.” Faith said, moving away from her.

Tara put her hand over Willow’s mouth and kissed it. “Now go take a shower and do what Faith said.” She smiled softly. “I love you, Willow. I always will.”

“I’m sorry,” Willow said. “I just…I did, Tara. I got caught up with the moment. But I was really careful. I didn’t do anything that I knew would have any kind of lasting effect.”

The blonde sighed. “I’m sure you didn’t. And I’m sorry I’m such a diehard bitch about it.”

“It’s how you were raised.” Willow smiled at her. “But you should…next time we go out, you should come with us.” She chuckled. “Won’t be for a while, though. I’m pooped.”

“I’ll think about it.” She said, turning the girl and pushing her toward the door. “Now go and shower. Then you can come down and help with dinner.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She said, marching out of the kitchen like a soldier.

Tara turned to Faith. “I have one question for you.” The slayer looked at her. “When did you, ye on angry at the world slayer, become the reasonable one?”

Faith didn’t smile. She just stared at her. “You’re right. I was. But when I was inside, I learned something. I learned a lot of things, actually, but when I was talking to my shrink, she asked me something. She had just started seeing me and asked me one question. ‘Who are you so angry at?’ She told me she wanted me to answer the question when she asked me to and not a moment before. For almost two months of weekly sessions, she never brought it up. It was actually pissing me off at the time, but finally, after I’d stopped thinking about it, she asked for my answer.” Faith chuckled. “Funny thing. By that point, I wasn’t really pissed off anymore. I was just…content. I was just dealing with the day to day. No hate, no anger, no rage. Just Faith Lehane behind bars, you know?”

“What did you tell her?”

“I told her that I wasn’t angry at anyone. When she asked me who I  _had been_ angry at, I couldn’t give her an answer. Because after looking at it, I really didn’t have anyone to be pissed off at. Truthfully the only person to really fuck me was Wes and I gave him what I, to this day, think he deserved. B screwed me a little, but at the end of the day, when everything went down, she was just as freaked out as I was. She didn’t know what to expect from the Finch thing. I realize now that blaming her for it was a pretty shitty thing to do and she had every right to be pissed off at me for it. Don’t really matter what my reasons were.” She sighed heavily. “I’m just tired of being mad. Tired of being pissed off at everything.” She looked at Tara. “You’ve been a big help with that. Red has kinda, but you? Bein’ all understanding and shit? That’s worth more to me than anything.”

“I think you’re giving me credit I didn’t earn,” Tara said. “I just know the real you, Faith. I know that a lot of the bluster and bravado was a front. It was what you’d been forced to show the world for so long that you were beginning to believe you were the mask you wore and not the person you are deep inside.” She moved over and wrapped her arms around the slayer. “But I see you for who you are. And who you are is a wonderful woman that does everything she can for those she loves. That’s what I see. And that’s what Willow sees. That’s why we love you.”

Faith was the kind of person that tried very hard to never say something she didn’t mean. She stared into Tara’s soft blue eyes. She was captivated by them. The way Tara looked at her made her heart clench in her chest. “I love you, too Tara.” She said, her voice whisper soft. She thought she’d feel strange saying the words that she’d never spoken to anyone. She’d never even told her mother that. Granted, her mother rarely gave her the opportunity…or a reason. But to say it to Tara now, just…felt  _right_.

The blonde, for her part, smiled broadly. She knew what those words meant, especially from someone like Faith. She pulled the girl in and kissed her fiercely. She never thought she’d hear them from the brunette slayer.

But heard them she did, and her day suddenly became perfect.

 


	24. Chapter 24

The four girls sat around the dining room table eating the delicious spread of spaghetti and meatballs. True to her statement, Faith had cooked up four huge loaves of parmesan garlic bread.

Both she and Dawn were deep into their second heaping plate of pasta. Buffybot wandered into the room and sat down, looking somewhat distraught.

Faith noticed her melancholy immediately. “What’s up, Double B?”

“I’m feeling…strange.” The bot said. “At least, that’s what my programming tells me.”

“What are you feeling? Do you want me to take a look?” Willow asked.

“I don’t think you can help,” Buffybot said. “I have to talk to Faith.”

Willow frowned at the response. “I can…”

“Nah, Red. It’s cool.” Faith said, getting up. “I think I know what the deal is. It’s not a programming issue. Come on, B. Let’s talk outside.” The pair made their way to the front porch to watch the sunset. “So what’s up?”

“I talked to Spike this morning.”

“He was on the couch asleep when we left. I’d have imagined him being here a while.” Faith said, sitting on the banister.

“I told him he had to leave because I was inviting Daniel over.” Buffybot stood staring at the sun. “He told me things.” She looked at Faith. “I still love him.”

“There are a lot of people that would believe that because you’re a robot, you don’t know what it is to love someone.”

“Do you believe that?” Buffybot asked.

For her part, Faith shrugged. “Don’t matter what I believe. But let me ask you this. How do you know you love Spike?”

“Because after we talked, I was sad to see him go. I lay in my bed all day and couldn’t think of anything else. I didn’t call Daniel because I didn’t want to be with him.”

Faith nodded. “Sounds like love to me.” She stood and moved closer. “But you have to understand something. Spike and I have talked about you. He doesn’t love  _you_. He loved what you represented. He told you that didn’t he?” As the robot nodded, Faith smiled. “Welcome to the human race, B. But you do owe yourself something. When you think of Daniel, what’s the first reaction?”

Buffybot closed her eyes and brought an image of the somewhat awkward teen to the forefront. A smile crept across her lips.

“There you go.” Faith said. “If you think about him and smile, there’s something there. Don’t throw that away lusting after something you can have. Most of us never end up with the man or woman of our dreams. A lot of the time we have to settle for second best. There’s nothing wrong with it. If you’re happy when you’re with Daniel, then just be happy. Spike isn’t for you. Just…think of him as being in love with your twin sister. Except…now she’s dead and you remind him of her.”

“That was quite morbid,” Buffybot said.

“Yeah, didn’t really think that one through.” Faith said. “But just don’t cast aside someone that thinks the world of you for someone that’ll never be what you want them to be.”

Buffybot nodded. “I understand. I just needed to hear someone say it.”

“I’m lookin’ out for ya, B.” Faith said, hugging the robot.

“I know you are, Faith. And I thank you for it.” Buffybot stepped back. “I have to go to work.”

Faith lifted and eyebrow. “I thought you had tonight off.”

“Manny called to ask if I could pick up a shift tonight. Someone didn’t show up and he needs someone to close.”

“Fair enough. More money.” Faith patted her shoulder. “Be careful. What time are you off?”

“Midnight.” Buffybot offered. “Can I go to Daniel’s house after?”

“Of course you can.” Faith said, smiling. “Have a good night. I want details tomorrow.”

“Okay.” The bot said, heading off to work.

Faith chuckled and moved to enter the house. She stopped and gave a smile. “Hey.” She said, turning around.

Spike emerged from the shadows with a cigarette in his hand. “Evenin’ slayer.” He said, taking a drag. He watched the bubbly blonde robot walk away. “She alright?”

“Yeah. She will be. Had a crisis of the heart.” Faith said. “She’s still a bit hung up on you.”

He nodded. “I got that earlier today. It was a bit heartening and a bit sad to be honest.” He looked at Faith. “This bloke she’s seein’ now. He a good sort?”

Faith chuckled. “Why? You feelin’ a little jealous, bleach?”

He sighed and shrugged. “A bit, I’m not gonna lie. But there're no chances now. Despite what my eyes wanna tell me…she’s not Buffy.”

“No, she’s not.” Faith said. “And there ain’t a day goes by I don’t thank the gods for it.”

“I suppose I can understand where you’re comin’ from there. Buffy was still around, you’d still be rottin’ in the pokey.”

Faith shook her head. “It’s not that. I mean, yeah, that’s a thing, but…that isn’t why.”

“What’s the reason, then?”

“She’s got a lot of Buffy’s perks, but not a lot of her drawbacks, you know? I mean Robo B loves being slayer fast and slayer strong. She likes fighting vampires. She doesn’t see it as a huge burden. That and she’s pretty. I don’t have to tell you that. And she’s just...” Faith shook her head. “She’s got like, an innocent quality that Buffy doesn’t have. Maybe she never did, I don’t know. It’s just obvious that they’re different people.”

“And that one of ‘em’s a robot,” Spike said.

“You know, I don’t even think about that most of the time. I never forget it, but I don’t dwell on it. I just…” Faith smiled and hugged herself in the cool evening breeze. “She’s like the younger sister I never had.”

“Thought that’s what nibblet was supposed to be,” Spike said.

Faith sighed. “She’s more like the snotty daughter that doesn’t like to eat her peas.”

“Hate peas,” Spike said, finishing his smoke. He lifted his foot and ground the butt against the bottom. “Don’t wanna have cigarette butts all over your yard.” He said as Faith looked at him.

“Appreciate it.” Faith said. “Come on. Spaghetti if you’re interested. Tara made meatballs.”

“Sounds good.” He said, walking behind her.

“Hey, Spike,” Tara said, smiling.

“‘Ello Glinda.” He returned. “Smells good in here.”

“There’s plenty if you want some,” Dawn said. She pulled the chair out beside her. He tossed the cigarette butt into the trash and washed his hands before sitting down. “Where’d Buffy go?”

“She had to work. Someone didn’t show for their shift and Manny knows she’s the go-to girl.” Faith said. As Spike sat down and started dishing up a plate, she asked him what he found out last night.

“I talked to an old acquaintance and he said that it wasn’t magic that iced the museum, Bobbie. Something to do with science.” He took a bite of a juicy meatball and indicated the meal with his fork. “This is nice, Tara.” She smiled warmly at him and he kept on. “He says the underworld’s been sort of in a buzz over something new. Low-level amateur stuff.” He looked directly at Faith. “Putting two and two together,  _I_ came up with three.”

Faith stared at him a moment, but it was Willow that voiced it. “Oh, god. Warren, Jonathan and Andrew.” She looked at Faith. “Some sort of, of freeze weapon.”

Faith looked at her. “Really?” She said, furrowing her brow. She then gave a half-nod. “Yeah, I can see that. Warren’s smart enough to build robotic girlfriends and time-skippy devices, a freeze ray isn’t that far out of line, to be honest.”

“Wh-what are we going to do about it?” Tara asked.

Faith shrugged. “Fuck ‘em. They went through all of that to steal a diamond. I mean, yeah, they’re dangerous…ish, but that’s a pretty pedestrian problem. We’re out their fighting demons and shit. I ain’t got time to worry about guys that are breaking into a museum to steal shit that, in all honesty, should have been a lot better protected in the first damn place. And the diamond was insured, so truthfully, no harm, no foul. They pulled a heist and got away with the goods. Not that it’s gonna do them any good. That diamond is famous, so it isn’t like they can just walk into a pawn shop and fence it.”

“But they’re using magic and, and science together to do crime,” Willow said.

“Who cares?” Dawn asked. “Let ‘em. That’s what we have police for. Warren tries that freeze ray shit…”

“Language, kiddo.” Faith said, sternly.

“Sorry,” Dawn said. “But they tried any of the techno freeze ray crap on a half-way competent cop and he’s gonna get perforated with a Beretta. Tech genius or no, he isn’t bullet proof. And if he is wearing body armor, a cop would notice and put a round in his dome.” She took another bite of her spaghetti. “Those geeks really aren’t our problem. Not unless they come at us directly.”

Willow and Tara looked at each other and had to admit, that both Faith and Dawn were right. As strange as their methods seemed to be, what they were doing, in the grand theme of things, was very human. And human criminals were, largely, the police’s problem. “So we just do nothing?” Willow asked.

“Tell you what, Red? Why don’t you log onto the Sunnydale PD website and give them an anonymous tip that you know who was responsible and where to find them?” Faith said. “Be the hero on this one.”

Willow nodded. “That’s not a bad idea.”

Tara smiled. “A-at least we’re doing something. I feel better about that.” She looked at Spike. “Thank you for looking into it for us.”

“You’re welcome.” He said, dishing up another plate. “This is really good. Best pasta I’ve ever had.”

“And you’ve probably eaten at the finest restaurants in Italy, so that’s saying something,” Tara said smiling brightly.

The girl was half right. He had eaten at some of the finest eateries in Italy. But it wasn’t the pasta he was dining on. But these girls weren’t the ones to admit that to.

 

Buffybot went through her nightly routine of cleaning. Daniel had the night off but was thrilled that she was coming by his house after work. She was extremely excited. Her two co-workers, both girls that couldn’t stand her, stood together behind the counter, watching the girl clean.

“She’s just such a brown nose,” Janine said, with her arms crossed. “Always kissing up to Manny.”

Gloria, the shift supervisor, nodded. “And she’s always so cheerful. Just look at her. She’s smiling and sweeping the floor. Who does that?”

Janine turned and grabbed a bottle of ketchup from the counter and tossed it out onto the floor, shattering it and making a mess. Buffybot turned and regarded her. The girl grinned smugly. “You missed a spot.”

“No, I didn’t,” Buffybot said. “You just threw that. Please clean it up so I can finish my work. I have plans when I am done.”

“I find I really don’t care so much. The lobby is part of your job. Now clean it up.” Gloria said.

“I have already finished sweeping that area,” Buffybot said, her smile fading. “It is mess Janine made, so it is a mess that Janine is going to clean up.”

“Well, I’m the shift supervisor,” Gloria said. “And I’m telling you to clean it up. You have to do what I say.”

“Not according to page forty-one, paragraph seven, section three. ‘No supervisor can require an employee to engage in any task found to be degrading, biased or in any way unethical or immoral’.” The robot quoted. “And forcing me to clean up someone else’s intentional mess is exactly what that rule covers. So, you cannot, according to the employee handbook, force me to do that.” She walked over and handed the broom to Janine. “You must clean up your own mess. Refusing to do so is a dereliction of duty and subject to disciplinary action by the current supervisor. If the supervisor refuses to take action, then the employee is free to take their grievance to the assistant manager, the store manager, the district manager…”

“Just clean it up,” Janine shouted. “Or I’ll fuckin’ smack the shit out of you.”

“That would be assault,” Buffybot said. “It would go on your record, and is punishable by ninety days in jail and a one thousand dollar fine.” She cocked her head. “You would lose your job, and with the ninety days you spent in jail, your utilities would be turned off, you would be evicted from your home, and fines on all of your debts would accrue.” She gave Janine a moment. “Or you can simply clean up your mess.”

“You are such a bitch.” The girl said, pushing her out of the way to clean up the ketchup.

“I can’t be,” Buffybot said. “I am not a female canine.”

“God, you’re fuckin’ stupid,” Gloria said.

“ _You_  are already going to get fired,” Buffybot said. She pointed to the security cameras. “That has recorded everything you did.”

“They don’t even work.” The woman said, snappish. “They haven’t worked in years.”

“My friend Willow came in and fixed them,” Buffybot said, proudly. “Manny was very happy. She even showed him how to use them.”

Gloria suddenly looked scared. “You’re gonna…tell him?”

“Yes. It’s my duty to report anything that happens while I’m on shift. Just as it’s your duty to do so when you’re on shift.” Buffy cocked her head. “Haven’t you been keeping your report log filled out?”

“N-no,” Gloria said. She looked to Janine who had finished cleaning the sticky red mess up.

“He said he’s going to start collecting them again and checking them with the camera footage to make sure everyone is doing their job,” Buffybot said.

“How come he never said anything?” Janine asked.

“Why should he?” The blonde asked as she wheeled the mop bucket out into the lobby. “Filling out the proper paperwork is part of the job. He shouldn’t have to remind you how to do it. I am not going to be sad to see either of you go. I don’t like working with you two.” She looked at them. “You’re troublemakers and you are lazy.” She then went back to work.

“Fuckin’ bitch!” Janine shouted, lifting another bottle of ketchup and throwing it at the blonde.

Buffybot caught it without looking and simply moved over and set it down on a table. “Thank you. I needed to get this table a replacement bottle anyway.” She looked at Janine smiling. “That was very helpful.” She then frowned. “But as I said, I am not a female canine. I can, therefore, not be a bitch. It is a physical impossibility to spontaneously change species without the use of magic or radical evolutionary mutation.” She never stopped mopping the entire time.

Gloria just shook her head. “God, you are such a fucking idiot.”

“How can I be?” Buffybot asked. “Janine is the one that continues to believe I am a female dog when clearly I am not. If you take that into consideration, she is mentally deficient. Not me.”

“Just stop talking to her,” Gloria said. “She’s lost in her own little world.” The girl looked up at the cameras. She then went into the manager’s office and turned on the old monitor that had once served as the manager’s eye in the sky. She was filled with dread as she realized that all of the cameras in the store were again functional. “Fuck me.”

Giving the girls no more thought, Buffybot finished her work quickly and by the book. She then put away the cleaning supplies and clocked out. She left without another word. Both girls watched her go.

“Was she telling the truth?” Janine asked, still staring at the pretty blonde. She turned to see Gloria looking pale. “They work?”

The supervisor nodded. “Yeah.” She said. “We’re gonna get fired.”

“Dammit,” Janine said. “That fuckin’ little blonde bitch.”

Buffy ran from the Doublemeat Palace to Daniel’s house. She knocked on the door and waited with a smile. The young man opened the door, obviously happy to see her. He stepped aside to allow her in. “Thanks for coming.” He said, happily.

She stepped in and looked up at him. “Gloria and Janine don’t like me.”

“Gloria and Janine don’t like anybody,” Daniel said, moving over to sit on the sofa. “They treated me like shit when I first started, too.”

“Why do they do that?” Buffy asked as she sat very close to him, resting her head on his shoulder and placing her hand on his leg. “It doesn’t gain them anything.”

“It’s just the way they are,” Daniel said. “They’re just bitches, I guess.”

“No, they’re not,” Buffy said, looking at him. “They’re human.”

He laughed. “I keep forgetting. Sorry. If someone is being a bitch, it means they’re being cruel for no reason. It also means a female dog, yes. But it’s also slang for a mean person.”

“Oh.” Buffybot then furrowed her brow. “I’m not mean.”

“No,” Daniel said. “I think, honestly you aren’t even capable of it.” He likewise narrowed his eyes. “Did one of them call you a bitch?”

“Janine. Several times. And Gloria called me stupid.” She shook her head. “I’m not stupid, am I?”

“No. You’re just naïve. But you’re a robot. You don’t have a lot of normal human interaction so things escape you sometimes.” He took her hand and smiled at her. “And I couldn’t care less.”

“So are your parents home?” She asked him.

“No. Dad’s hunting with his buddies all weekend and mom is at a scrapbooking convention in San Francisco. I’ve got the house to myself. She told me not to have any wild parties while she was gone.” He chuckled. “I think the wildest party I’ve ever thrown was having Chinese delivered during our Pathfinder game instead of pizza.”

Buffybot kicked off her boots and stood. She moved over to the stereo that sat in the entertainment center. She pulled a stack of CD’s out and began sifting through them. Most of them seemed to be country or classic bubblegum oldies. She sighed at the choices and stopped as she held Highway to Hell by AC/DC. She flipped it over and read the track listing. She grinned and popped it open, placing it in the CD player. She skipped to the third track and turned the volume up a bit.

Daniel watched the girl intently. “What are you doing?” He asked her.

Buffybot didn’t answer. She just looked at him coyly over her shoulder. As the lilting guitar of  _Walk All Over You_  began playing, she began moving with the music, again harkening back to her original programming. She was, after all, built for carnal facilitation. And she used every bit of that to make the boy’s blood boil.

Daniel sat wide-eyed as she danced for him. She slowly pulled her clothes off, article by article. She left absolutely no doubt in his mind as to what the night’s outcome would be. He could feel himself becoming rather aroused at the display. The girl was beautiful and moved like a professional. Whoever had programmed her had made damn sure her sexy was cranked up to eleven.

She danced with a serpentine sensuality, revealing her perfectly sculpted body to him. As the song ended, she rested on his lap, stark naked. She slowly moved over his denim covered groin. She leaned down and kissed him. He kept his hands on the small of her back. She reached back and took hold of both of his hands and moved them down to her bottom. He gave a squeeze, causing her to moan slightly in his mouth.

The pair held the embrace for several seconds before she got up, knelt and began removing his shoes and socks. He was in complete shock. He’d never, in a million years, believed he would land a girl like this. She was so far out of his league, that it wasn’t even funny.

But yet, here she was, stripping him down. He wisely didn’t say a word. She again straddled his lap and stared into his eyes as she did what she designed to do. She smiled at his reaction. She knew at that moment that she wanted nothing more than to be with him and only him. She leaned down and kissed him again as she moved, eliciting every sensation she could from the boy. She was determined to make this the best night of his life.

Electrical impulses built into her physiology, a product of Warren Mears mechanical and electrical genius, made certain that she enjoyed it as thoroughly as Daniel did. Soon she was matching him octave for octave as they made love on the sofa.

The boy didn’t last long. But Buffybot didn’t mind. In seconds, she revived him. They made love again on the sofa, the stairs, and finally twice in the boy’s bedroom before he was completely spent.

Daniel lay on his bed flat on his back, breathing heavily covered with sweat. Buffybot lay with her head on the boy’s shoulder, her fingers drawing lazy circles on his stomach and her slim leg thrown over his. “That was fucking awesome.” He said, winded.

She smiled brightly. “I’m glad I could make you happy.”

“I do have a question.” He looked at her beautiful face. “Can you…do you  _feel_  it when you…have sex?”

Buffy nodded. “Yes. I was originally built for this.”

He raised an eyebrow. He suddenly found the idea of having sex with someone else’s sex toy to be a bit…skeevy. “Really?” His expression spoke volumes.

She suddenly frowned at his reaction. “Does that bother you?”

“Have you ever…with another guy?”

She bit her lip and nodded nervously. “I’m sorry.” She said. She slowly rolled over and stood, moving to the door.

“Where are you going?” He asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

“You don’t want me anymore.” She said, reaching for the door. “It’s alright. I’m used to it.” She added, sadly.

He jumped up from the bed and put his hand on the door, keeping her from opening it. “Don’t.” He said. He gently turned her and stared down at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like that. I’m not gonna lie, it’s a little weird, but…” He leaned down and kissed her. “I can deal with it. So you’re not a virgin. I shouldn’t be surprised.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “As beautiful as you are, I would be very, very surprised if you haven’t been with someone else.”

“You…are not upset?” She asked him.

He smiled and lifted her from the floor with a bit of a grunt and carried her to his bed, setting her on the edge. He dropped to his knees and parted her slender legs. He leaned down and went to work.

She immediately gripped his hair, moaning. Apparently, he wasn’t upset at all.

 


	25. Chapter 25

 

Willow smiled brightly as Faith and Tara sat upon the floor of the living room, looking over the instructions to the large entertainment center. “I-It says we n-need an Allen-wrench.” Tara offered, softly.

Faith began sifting through the packaging. “Should come with one, somewhere.” She tossed Styrofoam and plastic around, searching. “For fff…” She looked at Tara. “Fudge’s sake.” She gave a smirk at Tara’s appreciative nod. The girls have been trying for the past week to get her to stop swearing quite so much. Not that it really bothered them overmuch, but it was beginning to show with Dawn. The teen’s language was starting to get just a little too colorful for their tastes. Faith talked to her and told her outright that once she turned eighteen she could cuss a blue streak all she wanted, but until then, she had to curb it when she was around Tara and Willow. “I’ll go to the garage and get one.” She lifted one of the screws and made her way.

Tara watched her go and sighed. She then looked to Willow and gave her the soft loving smile that the redhead had fallen in love with. She stepped over and knelt, giving Tara a kiss. “I love you, you know.”

The blonde looked into the warm green eyes. “I-I got that impression some time ago.” She kissed her again. “But it’s still nice to hear.”

Willow looked at the pieces. “You know I do know a spell…” She looked at Tara.

“But isn’t this more fun?” Tara asked. “Watching Faith and I do this is a lot more enjoyable, don’t you think?”

Willow nodded, conceding that to the girl. “Kinda, yeah. You two are so cute when you do things together.” She rose to her feet. “Do my sexy girlfriends want something for lunch?”

Faith came in, carrying the wrench. “Wouldn’t go amiss.” She said, pulling the redhead in and lighting her lips up with a passionate kiss. “Don’t think I don’t know you snuck in and gave the sexy Wiccan one.” She said, giving Willow’s bottom a squeeze. Faith lifted an eyebrow and moved around, looking at Willow’s butt. “Starting to get a pretty sexy ass, there Red.”

Willow turned and looked. “Well, you have been making me work out a bit more.”

“Startin’ to pay off, too. Don’t you think, T-bear?”

Tara giggled and nodded. “It is p-pretty nice.” She reached up and poked her in the bottom. “Very nice.”

Willow chuckled and moved toward the kitchen. “Then let me take my fine ass into the kitchen to make you ladies some food.”

Faith flopped down onto the floor and began the process of connecting shelves and panels. “This should house everything just fine.” She said, happily.

“How e-expensive was it?” Tara asked.

“Four hundred bucks. That’s actually not bad for how nice it is. The guy gave me a pretty good deal.” Faith said as she worked.

Willow stood at the island building sandwiches for her girls. She started as the back door opened. She saw Amy step in and gave her a smile. “Hey.” She said, moving over.

“Hey,” Willow said back. “What brings you by?”

“Just wonderin’ if you were busy? Kinda felt a little restless. Dad’s been driving me crazy.” She leaned on the counter. “Wanted to get out for a little while and just hang out with my best friend.”

Willow grimaced. “I can’t. I promised I’d stay home and help Faith and Tara. We bought a new entertainment center. I’m kinda playin’ gopher.”

Amy sighed. “I liked it better when you were in high school.” She scratched at the counter. “You didn’t really have any kind of responsibilities then.” She looked at her. “What happened to you?”

Willow furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Amy indicated what Willow was doing. “Look at you. You’re a housewife.”

“I’m not…” The redhead stopped and looked down at the lunch meat, veggies, and bread. She sighed heavily. Slowly she lifted her eyes to Amy. “I guess I just…I grew up.” She said, going back to what she was doing. “That’s what being in love makes you do, Amy. I can’t be carefree and only think of myself anymore. I’ve got people that count on me and I’ve got people I can count  _on_.” She looked at the girl again. “I can’t be sixteen forever. I’m sorry if that bothers you.”

Amy shrugged. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just feelin’ a little cooped up. You know how it is.”

“You’re welcome to stick around,” Willow said. “I mean watching Faith and Tara put furniture together isn’t exactly a thrill a minute, but it’s gotta be better than sitting at home and listening to your dad gush over how sorry he is.” She offered the girl a sandwich. “Pastrami?”

Amy giggled and took it, taking a bite. “Funny thing.” She said, chewing slowly and savoring the taste. “I used to hate pastrami.”

“I don’t know how anyone can hate pastrami,” Willow said, piling several sandwiches on a plate for Faith, then making one for herself and Tara. “It’s the best meat ever.”

“I used to think it was too salty,” Amy said, polishing off her sandwich. “Being in a cage for years on end makes you appreciate things, you know?” She moved over and hugged Willow tightly.

The redhead was surprised but returned the embrace. “What’s this for?”

Amy stepped back. “Two reasons. First, for taking care of me. It’s still a little sketchy, but do remember you making sure I was safe while I was a rat. And for not giving up.” She smiled as she rested her hands on Willow’s shoulders. “I know you kept working, trying to find a way to save me. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

Willow returned her smile. “You would have done the same for me.” She gathered the plates and took them to the living room. “Lunch is ready.” She said, handing her girls their food.

“Thanks, Red.” Faith said. “Hey, Amy. What’s up?”

“Just feeling a little restless.”

“I can understand that. Spent a year and a half in prison. Got pretty damn claustrophobic, let me tell ya.” The slayer offered, taking a bite of her sandwich. “Nice work, Red.”

Willow smiled and sat down, tucking into her own food.

“I never asked, but…what were you in for?” Amy asked.

“Initially, I was in for double homicide. But after a year and change, the Watcher’s council got some hotshot law firm to get me released without probation. Not sure how they did it, but they did.”

“What was your sentence?”

“Twenty-five to life. Eligible for parole in fifteen if I behaved myself.” Faith said.

“That’s…did you do it?” Amy asked point blank.

“Yep.” Faith said. “Well, one of them. I did kill Professor Worth. Not a day goes by I don’t feel like shit for that one.”

Amy blanched. “That’s…scary.”

“Don’t worry, Amy. I’m not some hardcore psycho killer. I didn’t do it because I enjoyed it. I did it because I was told to. I was…” She shuddered. Tara took the girl’s hand. She smiled at the blonde. “I was in a dark place, then. I learned from my mistakes, though. Prison and me didn’t get along real well.”

“I can imagine. Being as physical as you are, it had to have driven you nuts.” Amy shook her head. “I’m sorry for prying. I just never really got the whole story and was curious.”

“No harm, no foul. You’re a friend. You should know who you’re hanging out with.” Faith said, shrugging.

“How far along are you guys?” Willow asked as she finished her sandwich.

“W-we’re almost done,” Tara said. “It’s just tedious.”

“You know…” Amy said. “I know a spell that could…”

“No,” Tara said. “It’s better to do it this way.”

“Why?” Amy asked. “I could have that thing together for you guys in like, two seconds.” She looked at everyone. “It’s really easy. It was one of the first spells I learned.”

“We try not to use magic for everything around here.” Faith said. “Appreciate the offer, though. Besides, I kinda like workin’ with my hands. And there’s no rush.”

Amy frowned, but let it go. She looked at Willow and could tell that the girl shared her sentiment. She saw what the witch was capable of. She was extremely powerful and knew that the redhead was itching to use it. But for the girls on the floor in front of them, the pair would be out right now enjoying themselves.

She’d give anything to have the girl she spent the day with back again.

Suddenly the phone rang. Willow reached over and picked it up. “Hello?”

“Hello, Willow,” Giles said. “I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

She could hear the edge in his voice. “Not really. Is something wrong?” She asked.

“I need everyone at the Magic Box. Spike’s in trouble.” He said.

“Is it something serious?” She asked.

“I’m not sure. He says there are demons after him.”

“Okay. We’ll be there as soon as we can.” She said, hanging up. “Giles needs us at the Magic Box.”

“There a big bad on the rise or something?” Faith asked.

“He’s not sure,” Willow said. “Spike showed up, saying something about demons after him.”

“Not surprised.” Faith said, polishing off her sandwiches. She then rolled onto her back and kicked herself to her feet. She offered her hand to Tara, helping her up. She looked around on the floor and sighed. She then turned to Amy. “You said you had a spell?” She motioned to the stuff on the floor. “Now, we’re in a hurry.”

The girl smiled and looked at Willow, taking her hand. “Help me out?”

The redhead likewise smiled and nodded. They both motioned to the mess and concentrated. “Congregamini.” They said in unison. In a flash, the entertainment center was completed, with all of the electronics in their place, connected and ready for use.

Faith nodded. “Perfect.” She looked at Tara. She could see the disapproval on her face. “Oh, come on, T-bear. It just saved us a lot of time.”

The girl sighed and nodded. “I suppose.” She said. “We could have just done it later.”

The slayer smoothed up to the blonde and wrapped an arm around her waist and gave her a kiss. “Gonna be doin’ something else, then.” She looked to Willow and offered a hand.

The girl rose from the sofa and took it, smiling. She moved in and kissed both of her girlfriends. “Definitely gonna be busy, later.”

Amy watched the trio and sighed. What she wouldn’t give to have someone look at her like that.

“I’ll get the mess cleaned up,” Tara said. “If you wanna go t-tell Buffy where we’re going.”

Faith nodded. “Sure.” She said, turning to the stairs. She trotted up and knocked on the door.

The bubbly android opened it, smiling. “Hi, Faith.” She said, chipper.

“Hey, double B. Just wanted to let you know Red, T-bear and I are goin’ to the Magic Box. Spike might be in trouble.”

“Do you want me to go with you? In case you need backup?” She asked, her face suddenly deadly serious.

“If you want to.” Faith said, grinning. “Prospect of knockin’ heads gettin’ ya a little moist?”

Buffy smiled. “I have a boyfriend for that.” She said, moving to turn her radio off.

Faith moved over and stayed her hand. “Oh, not yet.” She turned the music up. The hard driving sound of  _Ultra_  by KMFDM thundered into the room. She began dancing. “This is an awesome jam.”

Buffybot immediately got into the groove, dancing with her.

Tara, Willow, and Amy all looked up as the song got instantly louder. The blonde and the redhead smiled as they went back to cleaning. Amy sat there, confused. Suddenly, she smiled. “I’ve gotta use the bathroom.” She said, running upstairs.

“She does know there’s a bathroom down here, doesn’t she?” Tara asked Willow.

Willow, for her part, simply shrugged.

After the song ended, Faith powered the stereo off and tossed Buffybot her jacket. “Let’s motor.” They made their way down the stairs and looked around. “Where’d Amy go?”

“She’s upstairs using the restroom,” Tara said.

“She forget we have one down here?” Faith asked. Both girls shrugged.

Amy stood with the bag of lethe’s bramble on the edge of the bathroom sink. She lit the candle in its holder and took one of the bramble’s placing it on the candle, then setting it on a small saucer. “For Willow, Tara and Faith, this I char.” The plant began burning. “Let the lethe’s bramble do its chore. Purge their minds of memories new, take them back to younger years.” She held the crystal over the flame. “When the fire goes out, when the crystal turns black, the spell will be cast.” She pulled the crystal out. “Tabula rasa, tabula rasa, tabula rasa.” She smiled and put the crystal away and left the bathroom. She trotted down the stairs. “I’m ready.”

The girls moved out to the Jeep and climbed in. Faith slid behind the wheel and quickly drove to the Magic Box. As they entered, all of them were shocked silent as they stared at Spike who sat quietly on the counter wearing a chocolate brown three-piece suit with a bow tie and a green padded hat with earflaps.

“Wow.” Faith said, snickering. “That is not a good look for you.”

“I need you to give me asylum.” He said to the group.

Xander, who happened to walk in right after the five girls, nodded. “I’ll say.”

“No need to get cute.” He took the hat off and tossed it down. “It’s a disguise. Happens there’s a bloke I’d rather not see just now.”

“Leisure Suit Larry?” Dawn asked, giggling.

“Funny.” He said to her. “Shark-lookin’ bloke. Demon. You might have seen him. Toothy bloke with the baby-seal breath? Nasty fellow, him. And ugly too.”

Amy secretly looked down at the crystal and noticed that it was black and glowed green. She smiled as Spike kept on.

“He’s got a mouthful of choppers just waiting to be yanked out and worn as necklaces.”

Faith moved over and sat at the table. “Anyone got any ideas?”

Anya looked at Spike. She moved over behind him and roughly pushed him off the counter. “You’re getting butt-prints on my clean counter.” She said, before pulling out the Windex and immediately cleaning the glass.

“Well, excuse me, miss perky.” He said, leaning back. He shot forward rubbing the back of his head as she sprayed him with the cleaning solution.

The group laughed. Giles simply began cleaning his glasses, trying  _not_  to laugh. “I’m the one in bloody trouble, here,” Spike said, moving over to the sit on the stairs.

“Hey, double B?” Faith asked, pulling some cash out of her pocket. “Would you be willing to go and get us some donuts and drinks? Got a feelin’ this is gonna take a while.”

The girl nodded. “I can do that.” She waved away the cash. “I’ll buy them.” She said, turning and leaving without another word.

“So what does this demon want you for, anyway?” Willow asked him.

“I owe him something. Something I don’t have and can’t exactly get at the drop of a hat.”

“What do you owe him?” Amy asked.

“Kittens,” Spike said. “I owe him forty Siamese kittens, okay?” He sighed. “I know this was gonna bite me in the ass.”

“What exactly does he want the kittens for?” Dawn asked, horrified.

“He’s a shark demon, nibblet. What exactly to you think he wants them for?”

“You know, Spike?” Faith said, leaning back in the chair, with her feet on the table. “This is probably the first time since being out of prison that I actually wanna kill you.”

“Look, it’s not my fault, okay. I bet the forty Siamese and he offered up three gallons of fresh O-positive, alright? How the hell else am I supposed to get blood? Can’t exactly ask for donations from the Salvation Army, now can I?”

“He does have a point,” Anya said from behind the register.

“Of course you would think so,” Giles said, sadly. “The fact is, whether we like it or not, Spike’s problem is our problem.” He looked at the vampire. “He is one of us, after all.”

Spike looked at Giles and gave him an appreciative nod.

Faith chuckled. “Honestly thought I’d drop dead before helping a vampire hide out from demons.” It was the last thing she said before she fell unconscious.

One by one the rest of the group followed suit.

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I realize that things are going to get a little confusing in this chapter, so I’m helping everyone out before hand. I’m sure it’s been made rather apparent what is happening here. With that said, I’m adding a list of who is who:  
> Long Brunette: Faith. Teenager: Dawn. Blonde: Tara. Mousy Redhead: Willow. Red Shirt Boy: Xander. Chocolate Brown Suit (or Suit): Spike. Glasses: Giles. Short Brunette: Anya. Chestnut: Amy.  
> I hope this helps. I didn’t realize, until writing a chapter like this the challenge of not being able to use names. It was difficult, but I hope I did it justice.  
> Thank you, and enjoy.

 

“Christ, my head.” The slender brunette said, gripping her forehead. She rose to her feet, steadying herself on the edge of the table. She looked around the dark room, not certain what was happening. She moved over and hit the lights. She could see others in the room begin to stir.

A cute, somewhat mousey redhead girl and a thick-bodied young man in a red long sleeve shirt snuggled in front of a glass top counter. The girl woke and immediately slid away from the boy, gasping in shock.

He propped himself up quickly on his elbows and responded in kind. They stared a moment at each other before he gave her a cheesy seductive grin. “Hey.”

She returned with an uncertain raise of the eyebrow. “Hey?” She asked him.

The brunette moved across the strange shop they were all in, looking around. A timid looking blonde girl, who sat poised in a chair lifted her head, likewise casting her eyes about. She saw the brunette and immediately smiled at her. “Hey.” She said, softly.

The long haired brunette just lifted her eyes in silent greeting but said nothing.

The next to stir were a shorter haired brunette woman and an elder gentleman with glasses that were laying on the floor by the table, near each other. The man with glasses wiped his mouth and looked at the back of the woman’s shoulder, wiping her shirt. The woman, for her part, started. She slowly turned to see him staring at her. He cocked his head apologetically. “Hello.” He said, meekly.

The tall blonde man in the brown suit was next, rolling sideways and falling down the stairs, with a heavy thud. This awoke the skinny long haired brunette teenager on the floor and the tall leggy chestnut haired girl beside her.

“Who, who are you people?” The teen asked, her voice shaky.

“That’s a really good fucking question.” The first brunette said, angrily. She moved toward the teen. “Who the fuck are you people?”

The younger girl cringed back. “Please don’t hurt me.”

“I’m not gonna fuckin’ hurt you, kid.” She said, shaking her head. “Jesus, grow a fuckin’ spine.”

The blonde girl stood and moved over to the teen. “It’s okay. Don’t worry. Everyone’s a little scared.” She stood back up and put a hand on Long Brunette’s arm. “Relax. We’ll figure this out.”

Long Brunette stared at her a moment. “Yeah.” She said. “Okay. Just don’t like being somewhere I don’t fuckin’ know anybody. Freaks me out and pisses me off.”

Blondie nodded. “I understand. But you’re scaring her.” She said, pointing to Teenager. “Just…try to calm down. Being angry isn’t solving anything.”

For her part, Long Brunette drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Alright. You’re right.” She looked down at the girl. “Sorry.”

Red Shirt Boy stood up. “Okay, who are you freaks?” He asked, nervously.

Teenager and Mousy Redhead both climbed to their feet. “You don’t know me?” Mousy Redhead asked him.

“Not a clue.” Red Shirt Boy said to her.

“But you were just like ‘oh, hey’.” Redhead said, imitating him.

“Yeah, cause I thought you were a girl and I’d remember, but…” He threw his hands out wide.

Redhead immediately grabbed her breasts. “Well, I am a girl! I’m…not sure who I am exactly, but…”

Red Shirt shook his head, shouting. “Okay, why was I on the ground? And why are you all staring at me? Is this some kind of psych test? Am I getting paid for this?”

Glasses Man stood. “It’s…not just you.” He moved to the middle of the room. “Does anyone remember anything?”

There was a collective shake of heads and a sharp accented “Nope.” From Chocolate Brown Suit.

“Well, maybe we all got…terribly drunk and this is some sort of, uh, blackout.” Glasses said, sounding a bit uncertain of his own theory.

Teenager shrugged. “I don’t…think I drink.”

“Look way too young for it, to be honest.” Long Brunette offered.

Short Brunette looked around. “I-I don’t see any booze. I don’t feel any head bumps.” She looked around. “I don’t see Allen Funt.”

Glasses looked at her in confusion. “Who?”

Red Shirt started breathing quickly. “Okay. I’m not panicking. I’m not. I’m not.” Everyone turned to look at him. “Stop looking at me like I’m panicking!” He snapped.

“Yo, guy.” Long Brunette said. “Chill, alright. No one’s hurt, right? And none of us look all serial killer so…we’re probably safe here.” She looked around. “Wherever the hell here is.”

Chestnut began inspecting the wares of the shop. “Look at this stuff on these shelves. Weird jars and stuff.”

Redhead nodded. She moved behind the counter. “Weird books with weird covers, like…” She picked a book up from the counter. “ _Magic for Beginners_.” She smiled. “Oh!”

Blonde girl spoke up. “This is a magic shop. A-a-a real magic shop.”

Long Brunette looked around. “Maybe that’s it. Maybe something magic happened…”

Glasses scoffed. “Magic! Magic’s all balderdash and chicanery.” He gave a dismissive smile. “I’m afraid we don’t know a bloody thing. Except I seem to be British, don’t I? Uh, and a man. With ... glasses.” He pulled his glasses off. “Well, that narrows it down considerably.”

Teenager looked to Long Brunette with tears in her eyes. “I don’t like this.”

The older girl nodded. “You and me both, squirt.” She put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I ain’t gonna let nothin’ happen to you. That’s a promise, alright?” She brushed the hair from her eyes. “Cheer up.” The younger girl gave her a soft appreciative smile. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about.”

“We’ll all get our memory back, and it’ll all be right as rain.” Glasses said, smiling nervously.

“Oh, listen to Mary Poppins.” Chocolate Brown Suit offered. “He’s got his crust all stiff and upper with that Nancy-boy accent.” Everyone turned and looked at him. “You Englishmen are always so…” He contemplated his own speech for a moment. “Bloody hell.” He began ticking off his fingers. “Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks, oh God. I’m English.”

“Welcome to the Nancy tribe.” Glasses said, putting them back on.

“You don’t suppose you and I…we’re not related, are we?” Suit asked, pointing between the pair of them.

Short Brunette shrugged. “There is a ruggedly handsome resemblance.”

Glasses looked at her with a smile. He then turned to Suit. “And you do inspire a, um…particular feeling of…familiarity and…disappointment.” The pair stood face to face. He paused a moment and tapped his chest. “Older brother?”

Suit shook his head, scowling. “Father.” At Glasses’ look, he continued. “Oh, god how I must hate you.”

Glasses looked outraged. “What did I do?”

“There’s always something.” Suit pointed to Short Brunette. “And what’s with the trollop?”

“Hey!” The woman snapped.

“Her?” Glasses asked.

“I saw you, sleeping together.” Suit reiterated.

“Resting together.” Glasses corrected.

“Look!” The woman said, holding up her hand. “It’s okay. We’re engaged.”

Glasses smiled. “Oh.”

She grinned as well. “It’s a lovely ring.”

“Oh, great.” Suit said. “A tarty stepmom who’s half old Daddy’s age.”

“Tarty?” The woman said with a frown.

“Old? You little twerp, I’m young enough to still get carded.” Glasses said, sternly.

Redhead shouted. “Carded! Driver’s licenses!”

Immediately everyone dug into their pockets for their ID’s.

“It’s me! Alexander Harris. Cute picture.” He held it up for them. “Hey, I exist.”

“I’m Willow Rosenberg.” She looked at Alexander. “Heh, Willow. Funny name.”

The blonde girl smiled. “I think it’s pretty.” She said, looking at her own card.

“Whadda you got?” Willow asked.

“Tara.” She held the ID up. “And look, I’m a student at U.C. Sunnydale.”

“Me too!” Willow said, happily. “Hey, maybe we’re study buddies.” This earned a smile from Tara.

“Faith Lehane.” She looked up at everyone. “What am I from New York or something?”

“I think that’s a pretty name, too,” Tara said, softly.

Faith smiled at her. “Kinda partial to Tara, myself.” She chuckled when the blonde blushed.

“Amy Madison,” Chestnut said, looking at her wallet. “And my ID expired last year.”

“I don’t have a wallet.” The Teenager said, sifting through her pockets.

Faith reached for her necklace. “Here. Check this out. Says Dawn.”

“Or Umad,” Dawn said, smiling at her.

Faith giggled. “If that’s the case then we have a more serious problem. We have to find your folks and punish them severely.”

“I’m, uh, called Rupert Giles.” He looked down at the Short Haired brunette, who gave him moon eyes.

“Rupert.” She said, smiling fondly.

Suit chuckled. “Rupert.”

Giles frowned at him. “You’re not too old to put across my knee, you know…sonny.” Suit continued to laugh. “Anyway, what did I call you?” The Short Haired brunette woman moved behind the counter and began fiddling with the register.

“Um…” Suit said, looking at himself. He looked at the label inside his suit jacket. “Made with care for Randy.” He looked at Giles angrily. “Randy Giles? Why not just call me ‘Horny Giles,’ or ‘Desperate for a Shag Giles’? I knew there was a reason I hated you!”

“Randy’s…a family name, undoubtedly,” Giles said, trying to hide his smirk.

“Oh, hey, I have a name on my jacket,” Willow said, taking the jacket off. “Harris.”

“Harris?” Alexander said. “That’s my last name. Maybe I have a brother and you go out with him.” Willow looked uncertain. “Or maybe you go out with me.”

She smiled. “Well, we did wake up all snuggly-wuggly.” She walked closer to him. “Maybe you’re my boyfriend.”

Alexander snickered. “Either that or I got one pissed-off brother out there somewhere.”

“I’m Anya!” The woman behind the counter said, pronouncing her name  _Ainya_. “Um, this key fits this lock. And, uh, the forms…next to the cash register say that, uh, Rupert and, and Anya own the shop together.”

Giles grinned widely. “This is  _our_ magic shop?” He walked over to her. “Uh, well, that’s very, uh, uh, progressive of me.”

“At least now we all know who we are,” Dawn said. She looked at Faith. “Do you…think we’re…?”

Faith looked at her. “Sisters?” She giggled and pulled the girl in for a hug.

“You never showed me affection like that!” Randy snapped, looking at Giles. “I’d wager.”

“Well, we need to figure out what the hell’s going on. We need to get help.” Faith said.

“Look’s like Faith fancies herself the boss.” Randy offered, snidely.

“Considering that you don’t even have an ID…Horny.” She said with a grin.

“Oh, piss off.” He said, crossing his arms.

“N-E-wayz.” Faith continued. “We got a kid here.”

“A teenager.” Dawn corrected.

“A teenager.” Faith conceded. “And we have no clue what the fu…fudgebucket is wrong with us.”

“Yeah, because you haven’t been swearin’ a blue streak up until now,” Randy said.

“One, shut up. Two that was before I figured out I have a kid sister to look after and three…shut up again.” Faith said. “I think a hospital’s our best bet.”

Anya stood fiddling with Giles’ neck tie. “Uh, yes, let’s, um, let’s head out.” They all moved to the door. Alexander offered Willow his arm. She paused a moment and took it.

“Any suggestions on how we’re gonna get there?” Amy asked.

“Dad can drive. He’s bound to have some classic midlife-crisis transport.” Randy put his arm around Giles’ shoulder. “Something red, shiny, shaped like a penis.”

Faith was the first one to the door. She pulled it open to see two men, both with distended faces, long sharp fangs, and sickly yellow-amber eyes. Everyone let out a collective scream before she slammed the door and herded everyone away from it, terrified.

Buffybot stood in line patiently waiting for the large order of donuts. Three dozen took quite a bit of time. She knew the wait would be worth it, though. Faith, Tara, and Willow all loved the donuts from The Espresso Pump. She smiled brightly at the woman behind the counter as she handed the blonde the three boxes and the two drink carriers. “Thank you. Please come again.”

“I will,” Buffybot said, chipper. “Thank you and have a wonderful evening.” She added, making her way out of the shop and down the boulevard. She remembered exactly what everyone’s favorite donut and beverage was. She was quite proud of herself. She knew that Faith would be happy. That was really all that mattered to her.

She was beaming when she rounded the corner and heard the screams. She saw two vampires standing in front of the Magic Box, growling and pounding. She trotted over, her face grim with determination. “Hey!” She shouted. “Business hours are from nine AM to five PM.” The vampires turned to regard her. She spun in place, catching one of them with a hard spin kick that launched him through the huge plate glass window. “You’ll have to come back tomorrow.” She booted the second one in the side of the knee. His leg buckled and he dropped to the ground. She spun again, driving her heel against his skull, crushing it to a pulp between her leather boot and the brick wall. He was dust a moment later.

She looked and saw the vampire inside climbing to his feet. She ran and jumped in through the front window…

 

Faith ducked down behind the window. “Did you guys see that shit?”

“Vampires,” Randy said, startled.

“Maybe it’s Halloween.” Tara offered.

“It doesn’t feel like Halloween,” Dawn said, scared witless.

Alexander shook his head. “Even if it is, those guys are definitely not kids, and those are definitely not costumes. Randy’s right. Looks like we have vampires.”

The vampires continued banging on the door. “Slayer!” One of them shouted.

“They’re definitely not knocking for candy,” Alexander added.

Willow swallowed. “Okay, doors, we need to check to see if there're other doors, a-and make sure they’re locked and put large objects in front of them. Come on.” She shooed Alexander away.

Faith looked around. “Monsters are real. Did we know this?”

Tara shook her head. “I don’t know, but we n-need our memories back. We have to get to a hospital.” Faith nodded.

“As, uh, proprietor of a magic shop, I propose we fight them," Giles said. Faith shook her head. “We can use things here in the shop, you know, magic…tricks or whatever.”

The vampires pounded even louder. One of them stepped in front of the window. “Send out Spike!”

“They seem to want spikes,” Giles said, looking about.

“Oh!” Randy snapped, getting up and running off. He returned a moment later with a handful of stakes. “Let’s give ‘em these.”

“Well done.” Giles offered, examining them.

“But wait,” Dawn asked, lifting one. “What are they going to do with them?”

“Slayer, come out and play.” A vampire shouted.

“Slay her. That’s just what they said before.” Tara said, fear in her voice. “Th-th-they’re gonna use the spikes to…”

“To slay someone? A female someone.” Faith looked at Giles’ horrified expression. “Who do these assholes think they are?”

“Bloodsuckers. They kill by sucking blood. Take it easy, Faith.” Anya said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“You guys!” Willow said, whispering. She and Alexander both trotted up to the group.

“Trap door in the basement, it seems to lead to the sewer.” Alexander offered.

“Let’s go,” Anya said, shooing everyone away from the window. A heartbeat after they moved away from the glass, it exploded inward as the vampire flew through it to roll on the floor, dazed.

“Holy shit!” Faith shouted, getting in front of Dawn and Tara as the two clutched each other in fear.

“Bloody hell.” Randy offered. He, like Faith, immediately stood between Giles, Anya, and the groaning demon.

A few seconds later, an extremely pretty petite blonde woman leapt in through the window holding three boxes of what looked like donuts and two drink carriers full of lattes. She set the drinks atop the boxes and, without missing a beat, she knelt, picked up a stake and hammered it home in the vampire’s back, dusting him. She rose and looked at the group. “I brought donuts.” She said, happily. She then stared at the petrified group. “What’s wrong?”

“Who the fuck are you?” Faith asked. “And what the hell did you just do?”

The blonde furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand.”

“Are you a vampire, too?” Dawn asked.

“No.” She said. “I’m Buffy. I’m a robot.” She looked at the group and moved a little closer. They collectively backed away from her. “Why are you afraid of me? What happened?” She asked, her voice suddenly sad. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

Faith swallowed and stepped forward. “Look…none of us can remember anything, okay? We can’t remember who we are or who each other is. You…you’re a stranger to us.” She looked at the pile of dust. “There was another one…”

“He’s dead. I killed him outside.” She set the boxes down. “So…none of you can remember anything?” She asked.

“Not a thing.” Amy offered. “We just…woke up here without our memories.”

Buffybot stopped moving and closed her eyes. “Just a moment.” She said. “My database doesn’t include any entries on demons capable of affecting memories. That leaves only three possibilities.” She opened her eyes. “Amnesia brought on by a sharp blow to the cranium…” Everyone shook their heads. “A sufficient enough mental trauma to cause the human brain to repress specific memories…” She looked at the group. “That, however, is unlikely as you would all still remember who you are, at least on a basic level. The third possibility, and most likely, would be the use of some sort of magical incantation.”

“You…really are a robot, aren’t you?” Faith asked her.

Buffybot lifted her shirt and exposed her toned midriff. She then peeled back the synthetic skin to reveal her inner workings. “Yes, I am.”

“That’s awesome,” Alexander said.

“So you know everything about what’s happening to us?” Giles asked her.

She shook her head as she put everything back. “Not everything, no.” She said. “You are Rupert Giles. You and Anya own the Magic Box together…” Buffybot spent the next half hour explaining who, and what, everyone was.

Faith was ecstatic to learn that she was a superhuman monster fighting machine. She sat at the table bending a golf club into several knots.

Spike sat morosely in the corner, growling at the black eye he currently had. He was angered at finding out he was a vampire. When he learned he couldn’t hurt people, he immediately punched Faith in the kisser. The slayer shot back, cracking him in the eye and nearly knocking him out. After the splitting headache had subsided.

Xander and Anya were sitting beside each other, snuggling. She continuously apologized for thinking she was engaged to Giles.

Giles in turned cleaned his glasses incessantly.

Willow and Tara weren’t incredibly surprised to learn that they were currently in a relationship with Faith. All three girls could immediately see, and feel the attraction.

Dawn was the most difficult. She was sitting with Willow and Tara for comfort, after learning that her sister and mother had died.

Amy, for her part, was really flabbergasted. “So, I was…a rat?”

“Yes,” Buffybot said. “You were very cute.” She added, smiling. Suddenly her voice turned somber. “There’s someone outside.” She said, looking toward the door. “More vampires.”

“Oh, no,” Dawn said, scared.

The robot turned back around. “Faith. Spike. You two are coming with me. Giles, Tara, Willow and Amy. You three start looking through these spellbooks. Memory spells. Anything you can find.”

“What about us?” Anya asked.

“Help them out.” She said, pointing to the witches. “If they hand you a book, start looking through it.”

“Why would I come with you?” Spike asked. “I can’t hurt people, remember?”

“You can’t hurt humans. But you can hurt vampires and other monsters.” Buffybot said. “And you like doing that.”

“I do?” He asked. He then smiled. “It does sound like fun.”

Faith moved over and looked at him. “Sorry about that, Bleach. Kinda happened on reflex.” She straightened his bowtie.

“That’s alright, Faith. I had it comin’.” He said, smiling at her. “Let’s go be superheroes.”

“Oh, yeah.” She said, lifting a pair of the stakes.

The three of them ran and leapt out through the window.

 


	27. Chapter 27

Five vampires and a strange looking shark-headed demon waited for them outside. “Spike!” The shark demon growled, grinning.

“That’s right, you sodding wanker!” Spike said. “It’s me. And I’m gonna bloody tear you apart.”

“Is that a fact?” Shark said. “Get him, boys.”

And the fight was on. Faith ran full tilt at the vampire and speared him into the ground. He impacted hard on the concrete. She drew back and punched him across the face as hard as she could. His jaw broke viciously. He loosed a hard right that cracked across her cheek. She shook it off and looked down at him. “You punch like a girl.” She said, drilling him again and again. She then drew back and plunged the stake into his chest. “And you just died like a bitch.” She got to her feet as another vampire lunged at her, bearing her to the ground.

“Looks like you’re all mine, Slayer.” He said, pinning her arms to the ground above her head .

She looked him in the eye. “Uh-uh, motherfucker.” She began pushing. Slowly, her hands rose from the ground. She was overpowering him. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill you, asshole.” She growled. He hopped, landing his knee directly between her legs. She cried out in pain as she nearly blacked out.

“I don’t think so, bitch.” He said, smiling. Her hands slammed back to the ground. “Looks like I get a slayer-snack.”

Buffybot met two vampires head-on. The first launched into a flying kick. Buffybot ducked below his foot and loosed a haymaker that connected squarely with his genitals. He crashed to the ground, groaning. As the second vampire raced in, she dipped into a crouch and slammed her forearm into his shins, causing him to stumble to the dirt.

As she turned, he had rolled over and kicked himself to his feet. She shot forward, a fast snap-kick hitting him in the face, throwing him back to the ground. She executed a textbook cartwheel over him, plunging the stake home as she did so. He was dust, as she came to her feet.

Her first assailant was still clutching his testicles. She moved over and slammed her foot down on his head, three times, dusting him. She looked about and saw the vampire on Faith, readying for the kill. She calmly walked over and gripped his long raven hair and threw him off of her. He hit the ground with a smack and rolled several feet. She reached down and offered Faith a hand.

The brunette smiled and took it, rising to her feet. “Fucker kneed me in the clit.”

“Then kick his ass for it,” Buffybot said, smiling. “Here.” She said, handing her a stake. “Go get ‘im.”

Faith nodded and ran at the vampire as he rose. She again speared him to the dirt and stabbed him in the chest as they landed. “Told you I was gonna fuckin’ kill ya.” She said as he puffed away. “Shoulda listened.”

Spike walked up to the vampire as cool as could be. The evil dead launched a fast salvo of punches. Spike rapidly slapped them all away and executed a precision three point. His first shot cracked into the vamp’s nose, causing him to blink rapidly. Spike’s second strike was a sharp boxing of the vamp’s ears. He then put a boot to the beasts’ left knee, causing him to pitch forward to the concrete. Spike spun the stake in his hand and drove it down into the vampire’s back.

He then rose to his feet and looked at the shark demon with sinister glee. “Seems you’re fresh out of cronies, mate.”

Shark simply kept grinning. He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers. Suddenly vampires emerged from every shadow and darkened cranny. “I don’t think so, Spike.”

Faith and Buffybot moved up to stand in front of him. “You want him? You got to roll over us to do it.” Faith said. “Now we’re willin’ to die to keep him. Question is, you willin’ to die trying to take him?” Buffybot nodded her agreement.

“Let me think,” Shark said. “Yes.” He motioned forward.

“Into the alley,” Buffybot said. “They can’t surround us, there.” The trio turned and ran down a darkened lane. They came to a tall brick wall and turned, waiting for the vampires.

The undead came at them quickly. Buffybot took a shot across the cheek and issued a hard right cross that spun a vamp to the ground. She knelt and stabbed him in the heart dusting him. She spun the stake in her hand and stabbed another vampire in the knee, causing him to pitch forward. As he came down, she stood, ramming the wood into his chest.

Yet, another vampire jumped on her, trying to bear her to the ground. She slammed both fists into his chest and pushed, hurling him backward into his companions. Several of them went tumbling to the ground.

Faith kicked the first vamp in the face, staggering him back. She fought the urge to pursue him and kept her back to the wall. She understood that if one got behind her, it was over. She waited as another pushed the stunned vamp away and ran at her. She batted his strikes away and plunged her stake into his chest.

As he disappeared, another vamp leapt through the dust and hit her with a hard haymaker that spun her around, throwing her into the wall. He grabbed her from behind, trying to bite her. She quickly brought her foot up between the vampire’s legs. He snarled and loosened his grip. She reached back, grabbed his arm and threw him bodily over her shoulder. He collided back first with the wall. She grabbed her stake and executed a perfect back-kick while dipping down to stab the dazed vamp in the heart. She then turned and grabbed the next vamp’s hair and took him out.

She continued to smile all the while.

Spike punched and kicked for all he was worth. He wasn’t getting tired or sore. He thanked the heavens that he didn’t have such limitations. He gripped the vamp’s face and slammed him back against the side of the alley hard enough to crush his head and shatter brick. The vampire died in a slow trickle of dust. Another tried his luck. Spike took his legs from beneath him and rammed the stake into his chest as he was airborne. He fell away in a hail of dust.

More and more undead came at them. The three of them didn’t care. If they were gonna die here, that was fine with them. But they were gonna make it an extremely expensive night.

Shark continued to pace at the head of the alley. He watched the flood of vampires dwindle. He gnashed his teeth as one by one, his henchmen were thrown by the wayside. “Ugh.” He said to himself. “I gotta get a better class of goon.”

Buffybot, as she fought, ran a quick system diagnostic. She was down to fifty-three percent power and had suffered minor damage. She knew that she only had so long she could fight before needing power. A vampire jumped and drove his foot down onto her left knee with everything he had. The metal buckled and she dropped to the ground.

“Buffy!” Faith shouted, moving to protect her. She kicked the vampire square in the chest, hurling him backward into his companions. “Are you alright?”

“My left leg is severely damaged. It’s no longer functional.” Buffybot said, her voice monotone. “I can’t walk.”

“Dammit.” Faith said. “I was really hoping to survive this.” She chuckled. “Oh, well. Had to go out sometime.”

“Could be worse,” Spike said. He lashed out, taking another vampire.

Buffybot rolled forward, between the pair, causing vampires to trip over her. She gripped another vampire’s leg, dragging him down, before pushing a stake into his chest. She kicked with her right foot, breaking another’s leg, staggering him. She drove her boot into his head, knocking him cold. “I’m not helpless.” She said, sternly.

Faith and Spike were inspired by the robot’s pure determination to not let her friends down. From the ground, the bot accepted the hits, but returned them in kind. “No fuckin’ way.” Faith said, running to help the damaged bot. She kept out of Buffy’s range of motion, but moved around her, back to back with Spike as they took out demons.

The vampire and the slayer fought like a man and woman possessed, not letting anything get past them.

For long moments they let instinct guide their movements. Dust caked the ground around them.

Finally, it was over. No vampires remained to challenge them. Faith’s body was on fire. Every part of her hurt. Blood dripped from her mouth. She could feel that she had broken ribs.

Spike stood, strait and tall, staring at Shark.

Buffybot lay still on the ground, staring up at the sky. Faith knelt beside her. “Oh, come on. Don’t quit on me.”

“I’m fine,” Buffybot said, looking at her. “But I’m severely damaged. I must return to Willow.”

Faith tried lifting her, cursed and dropped to her knees, clutching her ribs. “I can’t pick you up.”

“That’s okay,” Buffybot said, caressing Faith’s cheek with her thumb. “You pick me up every day.” She said with a soft smile.

 

“This is the book for us,” Anya said smiling.

Giles took the book and began perusing it. “Oh, good. Does it focus on mind control, or-or memory loss?”

“Not exactly,” Anya said. “I just, um…my intuition tells me this is the book.” Everyone in the room simply regarded her. “And I figure being a magic shop owner and a natural at the supernatural, I should trust my intuition.”

Giles smiled at her. “Yes, fine, but as you recall…I too am a magic shop owner.”

Anya nodded. “True, but my intuition says that you’re not so much the magic guy and more of a paperwork type.” Giles frowned, but she ignored him. “Okay, here we go.” She set the book down and opened it to a random page.

“But you don’t even know…” Giles began. He was cut off as Anya began chanting.

“Bara bara himble gemination.” A bunny suddenly appeared on the table in front of her. She screamed and grabbed a hold of Giles.

Dawn smiled and lifted the bunny up. “How cute.” She said, happily. “We found a bunny summoning spell.”

Xander looked at Anya. “Two questions. First, why are you afraid of bunnies? Second, why are you clutching onto him?”

“Very good question,” Giles said, moving the woman toward Xander.

Tara, Willow, and Amy moved over to look at the book. “I have no idea what this book is,” Willow said. The other two shook their heads.

Anya took the book back from Willow and read another spell from it. This time, several bunnies appeared. “Oh, god!” The woman shouted, jumping up onto a chair.

Dawn giggled and began moving around, petting them. “They’re so cute.” She looked to Tara and Willow. “Can we keep them?”

“Perhaps we should try another book,” Giles said, looking around.

“No!” Anya snapped. “This book made the little fluffers, and this book’s gonna send ‘em back.” She flipped to a different page. “I’ve got it this time, okay.” She read yet another incantation. “Himble abri, abri voyon.”

Another rabbit appeared by Giles’ feet. “Quite right.” He said, cleaning his glasses.

Amy looked over at the other witches. “This is going to be a thing, isn’t it?” She asked.

Tara and Willow both giggled as they searched for other books. Xander moved about the shop, looking at the charms on the tables and in the cases. “Maybe there’s something…”

Anya quickly read yet, another spell. The number of rabbits doubled immediately. Without pause, her voice thick with fear, she read another incantation. A green swirling cloud formed over their heads.

Giles sighed heavily. “Clearly that is not a helpful book.” He snapped.

“Darling?” Xander said, moving toward her. “Come down, and we’ll see if we can figure out a sensible way to solve this.”

Anya scoffed. “Sensible! You think it’s sensible for me to go down into that pit of cotton-top hell, and let them hippity-hop all over my vulnerable flesh?”

Giles crossed his arms. “Fine, then just stay up there and keep making bunnies! That’s a capital plan!”

Anya shook her head. “What capital? I never know what you’re talking about. Loo, shag, brolly, what the hell is all that?”

He looked at her. “What? There’s no way that you could remember me saying any of those words.”

Anya shooed him. “Oh, bugger off, you brolly.”

Amy, Willow, and Tara spread out, sifting through several tomes at once. Xander stood by the table, trying to comfort his fiancée.

“We d-don’t even know where to look,” Tara said. She looked at Willow who stood a few feet away. “Any luck?”

“I’ve got something I think…” She brightened and then sighed. “Oh, no. It’s a spell for… ulcers.”

“Magic is so weird,” Amy said, shaking her head.

Anya flipped several pages. She read another spell. Suddenly, out of the blue, an animated skeleton armed with a longsword dropped from the green cloud above. It hissed and ran at Dawn. The girls all screamed in fear.

Xander ran and leapt, tackling it to the floor. He drew back and punched it across the jaw, sending the bone skipping away. The bone man punched the boy across the face, then tossed him free, before rising to its feet.

“Rupert!” Willow said, tossing Giles a sword as well.

The Watcher engaged the skeleton in an expert display of swordsmanship. “Get a different book!” He shouted. “Put that book down, do you hear? Not…that…” He ducked a close strike. “Book!”

Willow looked down at a spell and to Tara. She ran over and showed it to the blonde. “That sh-should work,” Tara said. She and Willow quickly held hands and drew back, as if to throw something. “Et convertimini ad inferos.” They said in unison. A glowing orb of light flew toward the skeleton, causing it to erupt into flames and sink down into the ground.

Giles turned to see Anya reading yet another spell from the same book.

“Anya sweetie? Maybe you should…” Xander began, but was cut off as the tentacles of some hideous beast began emerging from the green cloud. “Crap.” He said, pulling her off the table and moving around the counter with the rest of the group. Giles grabbed a stack of books off the table before vacating the main sales floor.

“Look at the bright side,” Dawn said, shrugging. “At least the bunnies are gone.”

Giles looked at her and peeked over the counter. A sinister growling sounded out.

“This is crazy,” Amy said, sadly. “I think I know magic.” She shook her head. “But…I didn’t know magic could do this.”

Tara and Willow looked at each other and continued to hold hands. “I’m scared,” Willow said, looking at the blonde.

“Me too.” The blonde offered, scooting closer.

Giles pulled back and looked at Anya. “Look what you’ve done, you lunatic woman!” He said, sifting through the books on his lap.

“Hey, watch how you talk to my woman,” Xander said, glaring at him. “Regardless of how right you are.” He said, turning slowly toward Anya.

“Don’t blame me.” She said, looking back and forth between them. “You snobby, snotty, thinks he’s so great kind of jerks. And I feel compelled to take some vengeance on you both.” She smacked both of them over the head with her book.

“Ow,” Xander said. “You hit me.” He glared at her. “No wonder I’m not attracted to you.”

“What?” She said, angrily.

“I’m more irritated by you than anything else.” He said, snappish. “I think the android got it wrong.”

She glared and pulled off her ring, throwing it at him. It bounced off his chest and flew over the counter onto the floor. The beast continued to growl menacingly. “Now look what you’ve done! That thing is gonna eat my ring.” She said.

“What I’ve done? You threw it at me.” Xander said. “And I paid for it.” He suddenly looked distraught. “I paid for it.” He glowered and peeked over the counter. “Gimme a second.” He said, standing and leaping over the counter.

“Xander, no!” Anya shouted, rising. Amy, Willow, and Tara pulled her back down. They could see tears in her eyes.

Giles quickly flipped through one the books. “Oh, here we…” He was startled when Xander dove over the counter to the floor beyond.

The boy sat up and sighed. He looked Anya in the eye. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” He said, holding the ring up, smiling at her. She crawled over and cuddled into his lap.

“Fatas…venga…mata…waray!” Giles said, reading the incantation aloud. Blue light flowed through the store, removing the hideous hell beast, the noxious green cloud and the thousands of rabbit pellets that surely must have littered the floor.

“Oh…that’s better,” Amy said, smiling. “Suddenly, I want cheese.”

“That w-would be the rat talking,” Tara said, patting her shoulder.

“Rupert…” Anya said, looking at him. “I’m sorry. You were right. That was the wrong book.”

“Oh…um…” He stuttered and began cleaning his glasses.

“I’m sorry,” Xander said, taking Anya’s chin in his hand. “I love you, Anya.” He pulled her in and kissed her passionately. “Don’t leave me.” He said, softly.

“Never.” She said, returning the embrace.

Dawn rose from behind the counter, looking at a book. “I found something.” She said, looking up. “What’s lethe’s bramble?”

The group moved over and looked at the book as she set it on the counter. “This book is familiar somehow. That’s why I picked it up.”

Willow, Tara, and Amy all nodded. “Burn it and put a crystal in the fire…” Dawn said, looking at the spell itself. “Someone must have used this on us.”

Amy reached into her pocket and pulled out a blackened crystal. “I was wondering what this was.” She showed everyone. “It might have something to do with this spell.”

“But…why would you have it?” Willow asked. “Did you do this to us?”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Amy said. “Think about it. If I did this, then why would I erase my own memory?”

“That’s a good point,” Xander said. “I don’t think she did it. Android girl said she was a friend of ours. She said we’re all friends…” He looked around. “And she’s the only one that hasn’t had her memory erased.”

“Because she’s a robot,” Willow said. “I don’t think magic would affect her.”

“B-but she could be working for someone. Watching us. Reporting back to her handler… controller or whatever.”

“But if that’s the case…” Giles said. He suddenly looked worried. “She’s alone out there with Spike and Faith. If she kills them, then she can make short work of the rest of us.”

Anya immediately hugged close to Xander. “You’ll protect me from the evil robot, right?”

He looked down at her and smiled. “Of course, baby.” He said, his tone filled with bravado. “I’ll scrap that tin can and make yard art out of her.”

Dawn continued to read the entry as they all pontificated. She looked at the crystal, read a little more and nodded. She threw the quartz onto the ground and stomped on it…

Faith suddenly felt everything come rushing back to her. All of her memories came flooding in. “Oh, god.” She said, shaking her head. She looked down at the robot. “B?” She said, sadly. “Oh, shit. Are you okay?”

“I must get to Willow. I’m damaged.” The bot said. “But you hurt yourself. You can’t lift me.”

“Wanna fuckin’ bet?” Faith said. She grabbed the robot and rose to her feet. The pain in her side made her stagger, but sheer stubbornness kept her standing. “Don’t ever tell me I can’t do somethin’.” The slayer said. “Spike. Kill this fucker so we can go home.”

Shark sighed. “You’re an odd duck, Mister Spike. Fighting your own kind…palling around with a Slayer.” Spike moved slowly toward him. “And whoa, that suit! Chutzpah must be your middle name.” He chuckled weakly as the vampire towered over him. “Uh, hey, look, um…about our little debt problem, it’s okay, I don’t need the kittens.”

Spike grabbed him by his suit and lifted him from the ground, snarling into his face. “You’ll get paid. I’m no welsher.” She dropped him to the ground.

“Right, sure.” Shark backed away from him. “You’re good for it, I know that. I’m just going to, uh…yeah.” He said, walking off.

Spike turned back to the ladies. “Got my memories back. You?” At Faith’s nod, he smiled. “I’m just glad I’m not Giles’ kid.” He shuddered. “That was just terrifying.”

Faith giggled. “No. But you might be his great grandfather or something.”

“Really startin’ to wonder why I actually like you.” He said, taking Buffybot from her. “Give her to me. Before you keel over.”

Faith did as he said. “Ain’t gone that hard in a long time.” She said as they made their way back into the Magic Box.

Faith sat on the table with her shirt off while Tara wrapped the heavy bandages around her abdomen. The slayer glared at the chestnut-haired witch.

Amy, for her part, sat in a chair away from the group. Tears flowed down her cheeks. After everyone had regained their memories, it was a pretty easy matter to figure out who had done it to them. What they didn’t understand, however, was…

“Why?” Willow asked. “Why would you do that to us?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Amy said, sadly. “None of you would.”

“Try me.” Faith said, her voice hard.

Amy looked back at her. “I just wanted to have my friend back.” She said, looking down. “That’s all I wanted. Just to have some fun and be free to live with someone that didn’t have to pretend to be weaker than she was.” She looked at everyone. “None of you get it. None of you realize how powerful Willow really is. I’ve been around some incredible practitioners before…” She shook her head. “But she’s in a whole different league. She’s change the world strong. And you all treat her like she’s a drug addict or something. You act like if she does one spell that she’s gonna go off the deep end.”

“B-because that’s what magic can do, Amy,” Tara said.

“You don’t know that.” The girl said. “None of you know that.”

“I do,” Spike said. “Seen it happen, love. I’ve seen blokes and bints alike get muddled up in arts that they ain’t ready for.”

“But I’m not talking about the dark arts, Spike.”

“Not yet, you’re not. Only a matter of time, Glinda. Sure, right now it’s all rainbows and unicorns, but soon you’re gonna start looking for magic that’ll be a bit more edgy. You’ll run out of simple things and start wonderin’. You’ll get the itch, sweetheart and then it’s game over. You’ll be neck deep in something you aren’t prepared for.” He pulled out a smoke and lit it up. “You already got a taste of that a few years back, now didn’t you?”

Giles cleaned his glasses. “I for one, do understand why you did what you did. At my age, I can relate to the desire to recapture one’s glory days.” He put his glasses back on. “But the road to hell is paved with good intentions. What you did was inexcusable.”

“I said I was sorry,” Amy said, sadly.

Faith could see Tara crying as she worked. “T-bear?”

The blonde refused to look at her. She simply finished what she was doing and began putting away the first aid kit. Faith pulled her shirt back on. “What’s the matter?”

“Glory all over again.” The girl said, her voice barely a whisper. Tears slid down her cheeks.

It took Faith a moment to get what Tara was saying. She put it together and realized what Amy had done was very similar to what Glory did to the poor blonde. She growled and rose to her feet. She stormed over to Amy and gripped her shirt, with her left hand, lifting her from the chair. She drew back her right fist and was ready to let fly when Spike and Xander both grabbed her to keep her from hitting the terrified witch. “You fuckin’ bitch.” Faith said, struggling against the pair. “I’m gonna splatter your fuckin’ brains all over the goddamn walls.”

“Faith?” Tara’s soft voice called to her. “Put her down.”

The slayer looked at her. “Why?” She looked back at the witch. “She fuckin’ deserves it. Tell me she doesn’t.”

“Please put her down,” Tara said again. “Please.”

Faith snarled and dropped the girl to the floor. “You owe her your goddamn life, bitch.” Faith said, turning and moving back to her girlfriends. “I’m sorry, T-bear.” The girl leaned into Faith’s chest and cried. “Take a good fuckin’ look, Amy. This is your fault.”

“I just…” She began sobbing. “I just wanted my friend back.”

Willow knelt beside her. “I never went anywhere, Amy. I just…I had to grow up. I have to be responsible, now.”

“But they won’t let you even use your magic, Willow. I mean, we had fun, didn’t we?” Amy asked. “And nothing got hurt. We just went, had some fun and went home. And what happened? You got yelled at for it.” She glared at Tara and Faith. “They treated you like you were a disobedient dog.”

“Because we want Willow to be responsible with her magic use!” Tara shouted angrily. “We want her to respect it. We want Willow to understand that it’s not a damn toy. Unlike you, we want her to realize that magic isn’t the answer to everything.” She moved away from Faith. “Look around you, Amy! Look what your complete disregard for magic did.”

“I knew what I was doing…”

“If that was true, then why did you lose your memory, too huh?” Tara asked. “Can you explain that?”

Amy just glared at her. “You just want her to be afraid of her power so you can keep her weak, like you.” She rose to her feet.

“I’m not weak.” Tara said, her voice iron tight. “I’m not even close to being weak.” She began walking toward Amy. She shoved the girl with nothing but her mind, tossing her back into the chair and sliding it several feet across the floor. “What we  _don’t_  want is for anyone to get hurt. Willow is incredibly powerful. I know that. She’s stronger than anyone, even me. But she’s also new to the spell casting. She can seriously hurt someone if she isn’t careful.” She continued walking. Pushing the girl across the floor like she weighed nothing. Amy sneered and tried to resist, but was easily overpowered by the blonde Wiccan. Tara could feel her push back, but ignored it. “We’re not going to let that happen, you understand me?”

“She’s not…” Amy began. Her face quickly snapped to the side. She felt like she got smacked across the cheek. A red welt appeared. Tara hadn’t laid a hand on her.

“A simple yes or no will be fine.”

“Fine,” Amy said. “Yes, I understand.”

Tara let out a breath. “Good.” She turned and moved back over to the Willow and Faith. She collapsed against the slayer.

“You messed with our memories, Amy,” Willow said, softly.

“If I were still a vengeance demon, I would have you boiled in oil or have your flesh flayed from your bones or…” Anya began.

“Yes. We know. You’d do horrible things.” Xander said. “Not that I’d blame you.”

“I don’t understand what made you think you had to do this,” Dawn said. “I mean, I thought you were cool. We let you stay with us. We helped you out. We did all this for you… and this is how you repay us? By messing with our heads?”

“I didn’t plan for this to happen. I just wanted Willow to…” She closed down, immediately.

“What exactly did you want me to forget?” Willow asked. “What memories were you targeting?”

“If I tell you, Faith is going to pound me rotten,” Amy said.

“Answer the question.” Faith snapped.

“I wanted you three to forget about each other, alright?”

“You wanted me to forget that I love Faith and Tara?” Willow asked. “Are you serious?”

“It’s just…ever since I got back to normal, we had that one night and that was it. You’ve always been too busy. I just wanted a chance to be friends again. Just you and me, painting the town red.” She looked to Faith and Tara. “Without them ruining our fun.”

“Amy…” Willow was saddened. “I love these two. That’s…that’s not something you can just turn off. You can’t just use magic to make everything the way you want it. That’s not what it’s for.”

“Says who?” Amy said. “If I have the power to do it, why shouldn’t I?”

“Because it’s wrong,” Willow said. “Because…because what you’re doing is…is slavery.”

Amy got up and looked around at everyone. “I just wanted to live. To try and forget that I’d been stuck in a cage for almost three years. If you all can’t understand that…”

“I know exactly what that’s like.” Faith said. “But you know what? You don’t see me trying to make everyone forget the horrible shit I did. It’s a part of my life. Good or bad. You used a spell that you weren’t ready for and it turned you into a rat. That’s on you. Just like the mistakes that put me in prison are on me. Cowgirl up and take responsibility. Red is still your friend, Amy. She cares about you, we all do. But pulling this kind of shit…it cuts deep. It makes it hard to trust you.” She shook her head. “And I ain’t gonna be around someone I don’t trust.”

Everyone in the room shook their heads as well.

“Go, Amy,” Willow said. “Just…just go. I can’t be around you right now.”

“Willow…” The girl said, sadly.

“Please?” Willow pleaded. “Just get out.”

The chestnut haired girl sighed and walked from the Magic Box, slowly. Her shoulders shuddered as she sobbed.

 


	28. Chapter 28

 

Faith moved back a step, holding the pads up. “Higher.” She said. The lean brunette teen leaned back, smacking the pad with a high side kick. Faith immediately lowered it to the floor. The girl responded, dropping to a crouch, catching the pad with her shin. Faith lifted both pads and held them at waist level.

Dawn spun on her heel and hit with a hard reverse leg kick. The impact caused Faith to stagger back a step. Dawn saw it and grinned. “How was that?”

“That was damn good, little D. You’re gettin’ some power in those spindly legs of yours.” Faith said. “You wanna suit up and do some sparring?”

The girl nodded, eagerly. She spent the next several minutes strapping on the protective pads and safety gear while Faith simply put on her MMA gloves.

Dawn squared off with the slayer and got into a loose-handed KravMaga fighting stance, just as Faith had taught her.

Faith nodded and motioned her to come at her. Dawn responded, shooting in with a fast right-left combo that was batted away. As Faith’s right arm came in to block, Dawn’s leg was in motion. Her taped foot caught Faith in the midsection and thrust her back several steps. Dawn was actually giddy.

Faith nodded proudly. “That was a good shot. You telegraphed a little, though.”

“You could have blocked that?” Dawn asked, her pride dipping. “I thought I surprised you.”

“I’m a slayer, D. To me, when I’m fighting, it looks like normal people are moving in slow motion.” Faith said. “But that was a very, very good technique.” She clapped the girl on the shoulder. “That’s the kind of shit I want you to learn.”

Dawn brightened a little bit. “I wanna eventually get fast enough and strong enough to fight vampires on my own.”

“Xander and Giles do it. And Angel’s got a guy down in Los Angeles with him that’s been fighting vampires for years without any kind of special powers.” Faith said, grabbing a water from the fridge and tossing it to the girl. “It all comes down to training. That’s one of the reasons I’m adding some KravMaga into yours. Because it’s all about handling people bigger and stronger than you.”

Dawn sipped her drink and listened as Faith spoke. “But you’re already faster and stronger than most vampires. Why did you spend so much time learning it?”

“Because it never hurts to keep learning new fighting styles. It’s like Bruce Lee said. Never commit to one style. Be like water. It can take on any form, fill any container. That’s what the human body is. It can do whatever you need it to do. So learning only one style of fighting is you putting a limitation on yourself.”

“Did you ever read the book he wrote?” Dawn asked.

“I have the book he wrote. It’s on the shelf in our room.” Faith said. “You can borrow it if you want.”

“Maybe I will,” Dawn said, getting back into her stance. “I do have a report for Social Studies soon about a foreign contribution to American History.”

Faith shrugged. “I don’t see why that can’t work.” She, like Dawn, squared off. “Okay, little D. Gimme all you got. Show me the world, girl.”

Dawn did just that. She went at Faith with everything she had. Her fists raced in, barely missing the brunette’s face. The slayer, of course, slapped them aside without much effort, but she could see a very significant difference in the girl’s ability. She was quite a bit faster and stronger than she had been when they started training a month and a half ago.

She was incredibly proud of the girl. She was more focused, more driven. She was steadfast about not wanting to be a victim anymore. Faith could see a lot of herself in the teen. It was the same kernel of similarity she and Buffy shared. It was the part of both girls that was the slayer. Dawn had been created from what amounted to Buffy’s genetic and spiritual blueprint. Which meant that Dawn, in nowhere near the levels perhaps, contained a part of what it meant to be a slayer. And come hell or high water, the teen was bound and determined to wring every speck of potential from herself.

Dawn was so pleased when she let Faith know that she’d actually gained six pounds, yet noticed that she was a half a pant size smaller. And now all of that change was on grand display. As the teen’s feet and fists smacked into Faith’s palms, again and again, the slayer was forced to give up ground. Every so often, Faith would let a kick or a punch through. For no other reason than to gauge how strong the girl had really gotten. Dawn came around with a reverse spin kick to the face that Faith allowed in. It was a huge mistake. The teen had put all of her weight and force behind it. Faith’s vision went blurry for a moment and that lapse cost her badly. Dawn continued to spin on her heel and this time put her boot directly into Faith’s gut, throwing the girl backward to drop to the ground, sliding a few feet on the pads.

Dawn squeaked in fear and ran to Faith, kneeling beside her. “Oh, god.” She said, helping the slayer sit up. “I’m so sorry.”

Faith shook the cobwebs and looked up at her, smiling. “Don’t worry about it. I lowered my guard to see what you had.” Faith patted her arm. “My mistake. Teach me not to be so damn cocky.” She let Dawn help her to her feet. She then leaned over, putting her hands on her knees. “Fuck me.” She said. “That rang my damn bell.”

“Should I be proud of that?” Dawn asked, not sure how to feel.

“Oh, hell yeah.” Faith said. “I’m a damn slayer and you just planted my ass like corn.”

“Yay me,” Dawn said, smiling and hopping. “I’m sorry, though. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Kinda defeats the purpose of learning how to fight, D.” Faith said, standing and looking the clock. “We gotta roll. I still gotta do some shopping for Thanksgiving.”

The pair quickly stripped out of their workout gear and headed home to shower before going to the store.

Armed with the lists that Tara and Willow lovingly provided, Faith walked through the grocery store, gathering everything she needed. “Is there anything special Mrs. S used to make that you wanted?” She asked the perky teenager beside her.

“Actually, she used to make this really good fruit salad,” Dawn said. “It had fruit cocktail in it and marshmallows…”

“Did it have nuts in it?” Faith asked, looking at Dawn.

“It did, actually. Either pecans or walnuts. I can’t really tell the difference.” Dawn offered.

“Walnuts have a bit of a more bitter taste, while pecans are a bit more silky. Were the nuts bitter at all?” Faith asked her.

“I don’t think so,” Dawn said.

“Pecans, then. Alright. I’m not gonna use canned fruit cocktail because it’s just gross. So why don’t you go and get me all the stuff you want in it and I’ll go ahead and make it up for you.”

Dawn saw several bags of stuffing in the cart and looked at Faith. “You’re gonna make your own dressing?”

“Yeah.” The girl said, confused. “Why shouldn’t I?”

“Mom always did Stove Top,” Dawn said. “Probably explains why I never ate much of it.”

“No, I don’t do Stove Top. Not when I can make it myself and make it, like a hundred times better.” Faith said, moving along. “I do like using boxed stuffing when I make stuffed mushrooms, though.”

Dawn crinkled her nose. “Eww.”

“You ever had ‘em, squirt?” Faith asked.

“No.” The girl admitted. “But I’m not a big fan of mushrooms.” She suddenly looked serious. “You don’t make the oyster stuffing, do you?”

“Oh, god no.” Faith said, shuddering. “People that do that should be drug out into the street and shot. That’s just disgusting.”

“Have you ever had it?” Dawn teased.

“Once. And never again. It was so disgusting it wasn’t even funny.” Faith said, pulling a few cans of evaporated milk off the shelf. “Go get what you need for that salad of yours. Just remember we’re gonna have a big crowd, so get a lot.”

“Who are we inviting, again?” Dawn asked. “I know it’s gonna be the four of us…”

“Double B wants to invite Daniel. His folks are gonna be out of town and she doesn’t want him to be alone. Anya said she wants to bring something ‘traditional’,” Faith said, making quotation marks in the air. “Not sure what she meant by that, but whatever. So she and Xander are gonna be there. Giles is coming and he’s gonna try to get a friend from England over with him.”

“Oh. Olivia.” Dawn said. “He’s talked a lot about her. Apparently, she wasn’t very happy when everyone lost their voices. She was kinda weirded out by all of the strange supernatural stuff.”

“She must be seriously important to him. He flew to England to ask her personally.” Faith said. “We both know Tweed can be pretty damn persuasive. Especially when he cranks up the smooth. So go ahead and plan on them being there, too.”

“What about Amy?” Dawn asked, somewhat sheepishly.

“What about her?” Faith shot back, angrily. “She can fuckin’ rot. That was bullshit, what she pulled.”

“True,” Dawn said. “But she was pretty broken up about it.”

“She should be.” Faith said. “She fucked with our heads. I can forgive a lot of shit, but there was no call for that. I mean…” She sighed and stopped the cart, leaning on it. “Finding Red and T-bear, actually having them love me…” She looked at Dawn. “You gotta understand, D that was something I  _never_ thought I’d find. Not ever. And as soon as I did, Amy wanted to take that away from me. I can’t forgive that. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to. I know that sounds harsh because at the end of the day it was no harm, no foul, but…” She shook her head. “I just can’t. Maybe when I can say her name and not get fucking pissed off, I’ll invite her around again, but until then, she has to stay away from us. Especially me. I mean, if Red wants to be friends with her again, she’s got the right. I can’t tell her who she can and can’t be friends with, but I just can’t be around her.”

“I understand,” Dawn said. “I mean, of anyone who might be able to sympathize with her on any kind of level, it would be you. She was trapped as a rat, you were trapped in prison.”

Faith, for her part, shook her head. “It wasn’t the same, kiddo. I was in prison because it was the right thing to do. I could have gotten out anytime I wanted. I chose to be there. Amy didn’t really…”

“Yes, she did,” Dawn said. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be a bitch, but you’re wrong. Amy knew exactly what she was doing when she did what she did. She deliberately turned herself into a rat to get away from the mob. I was there when it happened. I was only like, twelve at the time, but I still remember it. We were gonna burn Willow, Buffy, and Amy at the stake.”

“I remember B tellin’ me about that. I kinda felt bad that I wasn’t there to help.” Faith said, sadly.

“But Amy made the choice. That’s on her. She just couldn’t change herself back. Truthfully, if you get right down to it, she doesn’t really have the right to be pissed off about it. She owes Willow everything. She wouldn’t even be alive if not for her. So doing what she did was like slapping Willow in the face.” Dawn said, suddenly becoming angry. “She’s lucky I don’t beat the piss out of her for it.” She turned and walked away.

Faith looked at her. “Damn. Look at you. All dressed up in big sister's clothes.” She couldn’t help but smile as Dawn headed for the produce.

 

Warren Mears sat in the van and watched the footage on the monitor again for the umpteenth time and smiled. For the past week, he’d been wrestling with a dilemma. He decided that now was the time. “Come on, boys.” He said, moving to sit in the driver’s seat. “We’re goin’ on a recruitment drive.”

Jonathan and Andrew lowered their game controllers and looked at him. “What do you mean?” Andrew asked.

“Recruit who?” Jonathan followed up. Andrew slid into the passenger seat and the slighter boy knelt between them.

“Someone who’s hates the slayer just as much as we do.” Warren offered. The two other boys looked at each other and shrugged.

When they pulled up to the rather nice two story bungalow style home, the pair looked at him. “Why are we here?” Andrew asked.

“You’ll see. Just let me do the talking.” Warren said, with a grin. “Trust me.” He said, before getting out.

“I hate it when he says that,” Jonathan said, stepping out of the van behind Andrew.

“Me, too.” The blonde offered.

The three boys moved up to the house and waited as Warren hit the doorbell. A few seconds later, a rather attractive young woman with long chestnut brown hair answered. In the black leather high heel boots she was wearing, she towered over all three boys. “Can I help you?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. Given her rather dour mood, she really didn’t want company.

“I’m Warren.” He said with a smile. “And I think we can help each other.”

Amy frowned. “Really?” She looked the three of them over. “Somehow I don’t think so.”

“You’re angry,” Warren said. “Feel like you were betrayed by all your friends. Thrown aside like yesterday’s newspaper. I mean, come on Amy. Of anyone in the world, you know how bad  _that_  can be.”

“How do you know who I am?” She asked, her voice carrying an edge.

He held his arms out wide. “We’re the Trio.” He said in a self-aggrandizing fashion. “I, my dear lady, am a technical genius. You may be familiar with some of my work.”

“The Buffy robot,” Amy said, nodding. “I wouldn’t be too proud. That thing’s dumber than paint.”

“Oh, you just have to get her in the right mood,” Warren said. “Then she’s just as smart as she needs to be.”

“That’s gross,” Amy said. “Look, I don’t really have time for ring around the dork, so if you’ll excuse me…” She began shutting the door.

“Wait!” Warren said, putting his hand on the wood. “Just let me talk to you for a few minutes. I promise it won’t be a waste of your time.”

She stared at him and sighed. “Fine.” She said, stepping aside. “Make it quick.”

The three boys entered and looked around. “You have a very lovely home,” Andrew said, sitting on the sofa. The other two nodded and took their places beside him.

“So?” Amy said, sitting in the recliner next to the sofa. “Talk.”

“For the past few weeks, we’ve been keeping an eye on the slayer. We’ve been watching her and testing her.”

“How?” She asked, curiously. “And more to the point, why?”

“Because we wanna see what she’s capable of,” Andrew said.

“Shut up. I’m talking.” Warren said. She looked to Amy. “Because we wanna…” He looked to Andrew.

Amy chuckled at their antics. “Okay, you wanna gauge her, but why?”

“Because we’re her arch nemesis…nemesises…”

“Nemeses.” Amy corrected. “One of you would be a nemesis, all three of you would be… well, probably nothing more than an irritation, but nemeses is the plural.”

“Hey, we have seriously complicated her life,” Warren said.

“Well, I have to admit the time loop spell was creative,” Amy said. “I think you could have done a lot more with it, but you didn’t take into account Faith’s resourcefulness. Because of you three, she now has a high paying job.”

“What?” Warren asked.

“She’s working at the construction site that you tried demolishing with those stupid demons you summoned,” Amy said.

“That was me,” Andrew said, proudly. “I summon demons.”

“Goody for you,” Amy said, turning back to Warren. “So you’re the technical guy.” She looked to Andrew. “You summon demons…”

“I’m Andrew.” He said, offering his hand.

She ignored him and looked at Jonathan. “I remember you from high school. You were always trying to get into magic with us.”

“I’ve got some power, now,” Jonathan said, smugly.

Amy gestured toward him and launched him across the room to slam into the wall and fall to the floor. “No, you don’t.” She said, off-handedly. Warren and Andrew both laughed.

He got to his hands and knees and looked at her. “That wasn’t fair. I wasn’t ready.”

“Even if you were, it wouldn’t make a lick of difference, tiny. Magic is in my blood. My mother was a witch, my grandmother was a witch. Our family dates back to the Salem Witch Trials.” Amy said. “Don’t talk to me about power, punk. I’m strong enough, but if you want real power? Take a look at Willow.” She said, her voice bitter.

“That’s why we want you,” Warren said. He watched Jonathan sit back down. “You’re angry. All you did was try and have some fun. There’s nothing wrong with that. So people lost their memory for a while. So what?” He grinned. “Personally, I think that was genius.” He leaned forward. “We’re trying to put the slayer and her friends in their places. We wanna prove that no matter how strong and fast…or powerful her friends are, they’re just people. A bit of brains and some skill and we can beat them. We’ve already tested her and come out on top.”

Amy couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not sure if you’re aware of this or not, but they have actually figured out exactly who the three of you are. They know what you’re trying to do.” She leaned forward to him. “And the worst part about it?” She shook her head. “They couldn’t care less.”

“They don’t know…”

“Did the police come to your house?” Amy asked.

“Well yeah, but…”

“Who do you think called them? It was Willow. After you guys broke into the museum and froze that security guard with your freezing gadget. It took her all of about three, maybe four hours to figure it out.” She couldn’t help but chuckle again. “You guys are so low on Faith’s list of priorities that she doesn’t even think about you.” She stared a moment. “You’re beneath her, as far as she’s concerned.”

“Well…we got plans in motion. Complicated, powerful plans.” Warren said, angrily.

“What are you gonna do?” Amy asked. “Tell the FCC that she’s recording Raiders games without the full written consent of the NFL?”

“Does she actually do that?” Jonathan asked.

Andrew chuckled, but stopped as soon as Warren snapped is angry eyes at him. “Look.” He said, rising to his feet. “I came here in good faith, offering you the chance to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Apparently, I was wrong. If you’re content with being a nobody and just letting the slayer and her motley crew walk all over you, that’s your choice.” He moved toward the door.

She watched them go. Against her better judgment, she sighed and rose, gesturing to the door, causing it to slam shut. “What  _exactly_  did you have in mind?”

They all turned to regard her. “So you’re in?” He asked her.

“That depends, now doesn’t it?” She asked him.

“I need complete commitment here.” He said to her, moving to stand in front of her. “I don’t want you diming on me and my associates to the slayerettes just because you wanna get back on their good side.”

She glared at him. “Trust me. I’m really not interested in getting back in their good graces. Not after what they did to me.”

He offered her his hand. “Then Miss Madison? We have an accord.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re a serious frigging nerd?” She asked, taking his hand.

“Hey.” He said, with a smile. “This is the twenty-first century. Geek is chic.” He brushed his lips across the back of her hand.

She pulled it from him and wiped it on her shirt. “If you say so.” She said. “So what’s this grand plan of yours?”

“What do you know about invisibility rays?” He asked her, cheesing.

 

Giles fought down the plethora of butterflies that swirled in his stomach. It had been almost two years since he’d seen the woman whose door he now stood at. Sweat moistened his palms. He wiped his hands on his jeans and slowly lifted his hand to knock. “Please, god. Give me strength.” He said, softly to himself. He looked down at the bouquet of yellow carnations. He knew them to be her favorites. “And please still be single.” He added. He knew dropping in unannounced was a risk. She was a beautiful woman and was possessed of no small amount of sex appeal.

As was demonstrated when she opened the door clad in a pair of low riding jeans and a half tank. Her hair, significantly longer than when last he saw her, touched the middle of her shoulders. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “Ripper?” She asked, her voice suddenly filled with emotion.

“Hello, Olivia.” He said, smiling. “I’m sorry to show up unannounced like this…” He was interrupted as she reached out, grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him into the apartment. She threw the door shut, slammed him back against it and plundered his mouth with her tongue. Her fist clenched his hair as she kissed him with passion and ferocity.

After an inflamed ardent embrace, she drew back, licking her lips. “I’ve missed you.” She said, softly.

Giles, shocked senseless, stared into her deep brown eyes. “Apparently.” He said, breathlessly. “My word.”

“For me?” Olivia said, looking at the beautiful flowers.

“Oh, uh, yes.” He said, offering them to her. “I remember them being your preference.”

She took them and took in their scent. “They always reminded me of summer.” She looked at him. “The summer we spent up in Newcastle. Do you remember?” She asked him.

“Our cabin overlooked the botanical gardens,” Giles said, nodding. “I remember that summer very fondly.” He followed her as she moved to the kitchen to put the flowers in a vase.

“So what brings you all the way to England without a phone call?”

He sighed and leaned against the counter. “I came to say I’m sorry.”

She looked at him. “Sorry for what?”

“That I wasn’t honest…”

“No.” She said, setting the vase down and moving to him. “You were honest, Rupert. I just didn’t want to see it. And after what happened last time I visited you, I…” She lowered her eyes. “I got scared.” She returned to his face. “I ran, Rupert.” She kissed him lightly. “But it wasn’t because of you. It was never because of you. It was because of what you had to live with. What you had to live  _like_. The things I saw.”

“Too scary?” He asked her. It was the same question he’d asked her two years ago.

She stared deeply into his eyes. “Sometimes.” She said, softly. She slowly smiled. “But not so scary that I’m not willing to try again.”

He gave her a wide brimming smile in return. “I can live with that. How would you like to fly back to the states with me for Thanksgiving? A young friend of mine is putting together a gathering and…” He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I’d like to see if we can make it work.”

“I’d like that.” She said to him. “I’ll pack a bag.” She took a step and stopped as he kept a hold of her hand.

He pulled her back and kissed her again. “There’s no rush.” He said, smoothly.

She just smiled at him as her hands caressed his broad muscular chest. “I suppose not.”

 


	29. Chapter 29

 

Faith slowly opened her eyes to see the room still engulfed in darkness. She blinked a few times and turned to her left and to her right, regarding the pair of beautiful girls beside her. Gently, she extricated herself from them and stood, stretching and yawning. She scratched her stomach and her behind, yawning once again. She smacked her lips and grimaced. “Ugh. Tastes like I licked the carpet.” She said. She then smiled. “Oh, yeah.” She chuckled to herself and made her way into the bathroom, enjoying a hot relaxing shower.

She washed, dried herself and donned a pair of jeans, a tank top, and her boots. She looked at Tara and Willow – who had scooted closer together – one last time before walking down the hall to the Buffybot’s room. She nudged the door open to see the robot laying face up on the bed. For all intents and purposes, she looked to be sleeping. Faith knew the truth and wasn’t bothered by it in the least bit. She moved over and reached behind the bot and depressed the node that powered her on.

The blonde robot lay motionless for a moment, then turned to Faith and smiled. “Good morning.” She said happily.

That was one of the things about the perky blonde robot that Faith absolutely loved. Buffybot seemed happy to be wherever she was and thrilled to see whoever she saw. She was perpetually chipper. And because of that, because she was almost always smiling, seeing her made Faith feel just that much better. “I’m getting ready to tackle dinner. Did you wanna come down and help me out?”

The bot nodded. “Sure.” She sat up and looked down at her yummy sushi pajamas. “I need to get changed.”

“I’ll meet you in the kitchen.” Faith said, moving toward the stairs.

Buffybot stood and pulled her pj’s off and tugged on a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt. She sat on the edge of the bed and put on her socks and tennis shoes. She ran a brush through her long blonde hair and smiled at the reflection in the mirror. She nodded and left her bedroom, heading down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Faith stood at the counter settling the large twenty-pound turkeys into their respective electric roasting pans. She turned to see the blonde moving toward her. “Hey, double B.”

“What would you like me to do?” The girl asked.

“If you wanna go ahead and get the veggies cut for the relish tray, that would be a big help.” Faith said.

“Okay.” The robot offered. She pulled out all of the produce and took down the large serving vessel. She then went about the tedium of cutting down all of the vegetables that they intended on serving. “I appreciate you letting Daniel come over.”

“Hey, no problem.” Faith said. “He sounds like a good guy. And you obviously really like him.”

“I do. He’s so sweet to me. It doesn’t bother him that I’m a robot. I like that.”

“And he’s good between the sheets?” Faith asked.

“He is. He’s very big. I like that. It feels nice.” Buffybot said. “He moans really loud.”

“That just means you’re doing it right.” Faith said. “Is he bigger than Spike?”

“Yes. Quite a bit bigger, actually.” Buffybot said.

“Ouch. That’s gonna be a blow to Bleach’s ego.” Faith turned to regard her friend. “Don’t ever tell him that.”

“Shouldn’t I be honest with him?”

“No.” Faith said. “There are some things you just don’t tell a guy.”

“Just because Spike wasn’t really big, he did have a lot of stamina. He could go for hours because he was a vampire. They don’t get tired.”

“Trust me, I found that out.” Faith said. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this before.” She looked at the bot. “I slept with Spike.”

“I know,” Buffybot said. “That’s okay. We weren’t together anymore. But you can’t have sex with Daniel.”

“Well, I can’t say I ain’t interested. Especially with what you tell me he’s packin’ between his legs.” She chuckled. “But I don’t poach. You two are perfect for each other. I can’t in good conscience fuck that up.”

“I appreciate it. Because you’re very pretty and Daniel would have sex with you if the opportunity presented itself.”

“How can you be sure?” Faith asked her.

“Because I asked him. Last time we slept together, I asked him if he thought you were pretty. He said you were. I just assume that if there was no fallout, he’d have sex with you.”

Faith stared at her a moment. “You amaze me, you know that?”

Buffybot smiled at her and went back to work. Faith finished with the turkeys and set about cutting everything she’d need for stuffing. She refused to cook stuffing in the actual turkey. She’d asked the girls and they all understood and didn’t seem to mind too much. A couple hours later, everyone came down the stairs one by one.

In anticipation of the meal, no one ate much of a breakfast. Tara sidled up to the counter. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“If you wanna get the potatoes started. I did the peeling yesterday. Just gotta cut ‘em up and toss ‘em into the pan.” Faith said, pointing to the fridge.

Tara pulled her in for a kiss and went to work. Willow sat at the counter and leaned on her hands. “I wish I knew how to cook like this.”

“It’s not that hard, Red.” Faith said.

“I think you forget who you’re talking to,” Dawn said, taking a piece of carrot and popping it into her mouth.

“A sexy as hell redhead with a lightning-fast mind and this really cute little squeak when you lick her behind her left ear?” Faith asked. She shook her head. “I think I remember exactly who I’m talking to.”

Willow blushed and buried her face in her hands. “Faith.” She said, giggling softly.

The slayer smiled and moved over to give the girl a kiss. “I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to embarrass you…much.”

Willow slapped her on the shoulder. “You like embarrassing me, you mean little letch.”

“Only a little.” Faith said, kissing her again. “You want me to show you how to make stuffing?”

“No, it’s okay. I like watching you be all sexy chef.” Willow said. “Both of you.” She added looking to Tara, who gave her a soft smile.

Dawn sighed and leaned on the counter. “I wish I could find what you guys have.”

Faith looked at her as she went back to her prep. “You just gotta keep your eyes open, little D. Love is out there. Just gotta take it when it comes.”

“The last boy I went on a date with…” Dawn began. Faith slowly shook her head. “Was a jerk.” She amended quickly. “He was just into necking.” Faith gave a smirk at her choice of words.

“You went on a date?” Willow asked. “When?”

“Oh…well. It was a few weeks ago. It wasn’t anything serious. I just met a boy from school at the park. It didn’t work out.” Dawn said. “Nothing happened. After a few minutes of me telling him how it was, he dusted.”

Willow shrugged, letting it drop. “Maybe you should start looking for a girlfriend.”

“Trust me, I’m weighing the options,” Dawn said. She bit her lip and looked at the pair. “Janice and I have…kissed.”

“You kissed a girl?” Faith asked.

“Did you like it?” Tara asked. She and Faith looked at each other and erupted into giggles.

Willow giggled and rolled her eyes. “Children.” She said, turning back to Dawn. “How serious was it?”

Dawn hemmed and hawed for a moment then nodded. “It was like those kisses you, Faith and Tara shared.”

“Christ, kiddo. If that’s true, you musta been jackin’ her uvula off with your tongue.” Faith said, smiling.

“Okay, see. There’s this list of things that you’re never gonna say again. That one? Right there near the top.” Dawn said. “That was disgusting.”

“Yeah, didn’t think that one through.” Faith admitted. “But Red, T-bear and I share some pretty steamy tongue action. Knowing you got that kind of lip lock on with another girl is just… it’s kinda hot, to be honest. I never would have pegged you for the type.”

“Well, boys just seem to wanna do nothing but get in your pants. Girls actually seem to care.”

“Daniel isn’t like that,” Buffybot said. “I’ve had sex with him several times and he still loves me.”

“Yeah, but Danny is the exception, double B. Not the rule. He’s a good dude. Those are rare as shit.” Faith said. “My track record with boys was pretty sad. At least until I met Xander. He was one of the only guys that ever seemed really decent.”

“Riley wasn’t bad,” Willow said. “He was actually really nice.” Tara and Willow both nodded.

“He just had p-problems with that fact that Buffy was stronger than him,” Tara said. “It bothered him.”

“Daniel doesn’t mind that I’m stronger than him,” Buffybot said.

“Like I said, you got lucky.” Faith said. After a moment she added, “When is he comin’ over anyway?”

“I’m supposed to pick him up at noon,” Buffybot said. “I’m going to go over earlier, though.”

“That’s cool.” Faith said. “If wanna finish up with what you’re doing and head over, you can.”

“Okay,” Buffybot said happily.

“You know, it’s weird,” Dawn said, looking at the robot. “I look at you and I…I see my sister, but you’re nothing like her.”

Buffybot looked at her. “Is that bad?”

“I’m not gonna lie, it still bothers me a little bit. I mean, come on, you’re a dead ringer. Warren did that right. But your personality…you’re a completely different person.”

“Thank you,” Buffybot said with a smile.

“You’re welcome,” Dawn said. “Wait, thank you for what?”

“You called me a person,” Buffybot said. “I’m sorry I can’t be what you want me to be.”

“It’s okay.” Dawn offered. “You’re a great sister.” She moved over and hugged the robot.

Buffybot smiled and returned the embrace. “I love you, Dawnie.” She said, softly. “I’ll always be here for you.”

“Thanks.” The teen said, happily. “I’m tired of losing friends and family.” She added, quietly.

Faith, Willow and Tara watched the display with tears in their eyes. Each of them saw Dawn a little differently. Willow and Faith both saw the girl as a kid sister. Willow was the older sister that wanted Dawn to do her homework, eat her vegetables and do her chores. Faith was the cool older sister. She gave Dawn her freedom, but somehow managed to make the girl  _want_  to do the right thing. Tara was almost a surrogate mother. She tried to make sure that Dawn didn’t have to worry about things. She wanted the teen to be able to have a life away from the strangeness and be as close to normal as possible.

And Dawn appreciated them all for it. She’d had bouts of depression to be sure. And yes, there were days and nights when she would find a quiet secluded corner of the school or house and just cry. It was part of the healing process and she knew that. She didn’t share all the times she did so. Because sometimes she just wanted to able to bawl without the incessant promises that it’ll get better and that everything will be okay. She knew that people were just trying to help, but she also knew largely that it was a lie. Her sister and mother were both dead. Things would not get better or be okay. She would always be sad for them. She would always miss them. That was the way things were. She would just be able to cope better.

And she had to admit, having so many strong people around to comfort her, she was indeed coping. Without them, she didn’t know what she’d do.

As the morning went by, Buffybot left to spend some time with her boyfriend before bringing him by.

At just after eleven, a knock on the door caught everyone’s attention. Dawn rose from her seat and moved to answer it. Xander and Anya stood smiling at her. Anya had a large oval glass baking dish with a clear glass lid in her arms. “Hey.” She said, stepping aside to let them in. “Welcome to our Thanksgiving Party.”

“Now that we’re here, it’s definitely a party,” Xander said, bumping Dawn’s hip with his own.

“I brought green bean casserole,” Anya said, happily. “I got the recipe from the internet. It’s Paula Dean’s.”

Dawn giggled. She looked at it and saw that it was covered with shredded cheese. “It looks good.”

“I still have to bake it off,” Anya said. “It’s traditional.”

“You know…” Dawn began. “I’ve never had this before.”

Anya looked confused. “But…it’s supposed to be a traditional Thanksgiving dish.” She looked at Xander, nervously. “The television said it was traditional. They did. They said it wasn’t Thanksgiving without it.”

Xander put a hand on her shoulder. “I explained this, Anya. Thanksgiving is the holiday, not the meal.”

“That’s okay,” Dawn said, taking the dish and carrying it into the kitchen. “We’ll start a new tradition. Every year, you get to make this for us.” She set the dish down on the counter. “See? Now it  _is_  traditional. Everybody wins.”

Anya gave the teen a smile. “Okay.” She said, looking to Faith, Willow, and Tara. “I made green bean casserole.”

“My m-mom used to make that every year for Thanksgiving,” Tara said, looking at the dish. “Oh, you made Paula Dean’s recipe.” She looked at Anya. “My mother wouldn’t use cheese, though.”

“Thanks, Anya.” Faith said, hugging her. She took the dish and put it into the fridge. “We’ll get that bad boy cooked up in a bit and get to some serious eatin’.”

“So have you guys set a date, yet?” Willow asked.

“We’re lookin’ at the first week of March. We haven’t narrowed down the date, just yet.” Anya said, happily. “I’m very excited.”

Everyone watched her as she gushed about the huge affair. Faith looked over and saw that Xander appeared to be incredibly nervous. She looked around and moved to the fridge. “Hey, Xan?” She said, closing the door. “You wanna come with me and hit the grocery store to pick up a couple more things?”

“Sure.” He said with a smile.

“What do you need?” Tara asked.

“I wanna grab a couple more two liters and maybe some more salad dressing just to be on the safe side.” Faith said. She flicked her eyes to Xander and raised an eyebrow.

Tara looked and could see the tenseness in the boy’s face and shoulders. “Okay.” She said, shooting in for a kiss. “Drive safe.”

“Come on, X-man. Let’s motor.” She said, moving out into the garage. She climbed behind the wheel of her Roadrunner. She hit the opener and backed out onto the street. As she pulled away, she cast a glance over to the boy. “You okay, slugger?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Looks like you’re having second thoughts about marrying Anya.” Faith said.

“What? No.” He said, dismissively.

“Care to try that again?” Faith said. “You almost sounded convincing.” She looked at him a moment. “This is me, Xander. I can tell you got some issues about the whole thing.”

He sighed and leaned his head back. “It’s just…I don’t know. I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing.”

“Then don’t do it.” Faith said.

“What? What do you mean, don’t do it?”

“If you don’t think marrying her is the right way to go, don’t marry her. Call off the engagement. Or at least wait a while.” Faith said. “Give it a year or so. If you two still wanna get married, do it. But after that long, at least you’ll know.”

“But Anya wants the wedding as soon as possible,” Xander said.

“That’s precisely the problem.”

“What do you mean?” Xander said. “You’re not making any sense.”

“Yeah, I am. Look at me, Tara and Red. I swear way too much, embarrass the hell out of them both in public. I belch at restaurants, scratch my crotch, pick my nose. I know for a fact that they hate that shit and I am trying to curb it, but it’s old habit.” She looked at him again. “And they still love me despite all that. Relationships are about compromise, big guy. You hit the nail on the head as to why you’re not ready.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” He asked, irritated.

“You said that  _Anya_  wants the wedding as soon as possible. You didn’t say  _we_.”

Xander stared at her a moment and realized she was right. “It just seems too soon.”

“Tell her that. Tell her that you wanna wait. Tell her that you aren’t ready.”

“She’s gonna take it the wrong way,” Xander said. “Anya isn’t as simple as most girls.”

“Then it’s doomed to failure.” Faith said simply. “If you two can’t communicate like normal people, then you aren’t going to last. The longer you wait, the more time you’ll have to figure each other out.”

“Anya won’t…she’ll think I’m waiting because I don’t wanna be with her and I’m just waiting for something better to come along.” He said, sadly.

“I know why you’re with her, Xander.” Faith said to him. “It’s a terrible thing to say, but I’m your friend and I owe it to you, to be honest.” She pulled off the side of the road and looked at him. “You don’t love her.”

“Yes, I do.” He said, angrily.

She tapped him on the forehead. “Maybe you do here…” She then reached down and cupped his crotch. “And down here.” She then tapped his chest. “But not here. I can see it. And you feel it, despite how hard you’re trying to convince yourself. It was obvious. When we all lost our memories, it was obvious.”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“Look at how everyone acted. Me, Red and Tara were instantly attracted to each other. Keep in mind, I’m bisexual, not a lesbian like Red and T-bear. I play both sides of the fence. But I just felt something for the pair of them. And they felt it for me. Anya and Giles spent the better part of the day thinking they were engaged. You didn’t feel a damn thing for Anya until Buffybot set the record straight. Even then you didn’t seem really like you believed it.”

Xander sighed. He remembered what he said to her.  _No wonder I’m not attracted to you._  He had said it in a fit of anger, but sadly…he was fairly certain he meant it. “I don’t know what to do, Faith.” He said, sadly. “I mean I enjoy the time we share, but I just…I don’t know if I love her or not. I proposed in a fit of passion. I wasn’t thinking clearly. The world had just been saved and I was glad to make it out alive. It took us months to announce it and I was already having misgivings.”

“You need to tell her, Xander. You need to be honest and up front. You both deserve as much.”

“But she’s gonna be so mad.” He said.

“Yeah, she is. But she’s gotta learn that she has to make concessions, too. Relationships are all about that. Cordelia treated you like shit, but you took it because she was hot. Now you’re a man and you’ve got a future. You’re not the dorky high school kid that’s lucky to get a girl to notice him. If Anya can’t accept that you wanna wait…if she doesn’t wanna consider your feelings, then you don’t need her.” She fired the car back up and headed toward the store.

Xander stayed quiet for a long time. They went into the store grabbing a few more sodas, a bottle of wine for Giles and a few more bottles of dressing. Faith paid for everything but the wine. Xander showed his ID and the pair were off.

“So you think I’m just with her for the sex?” He asked.

“Right now?” She nodded. “I think so. It’s all stormy passion and lust. You’re in love with steady pussy and having a cute girl on your arm. Anya is in love with being a successful business owner and the idea of being married. But neither of you seem to be in love with  _each other_.” She shrugged. “Maybe a little time is what you need. Let the passion and lust die down and just live together for a year or two. Be in a relationship before you get married. You guys really haven’t done that yet. At least not for very long.”

Xander sighed and shook his head. “It isn’t that simple.” He said. “I don’t…I don’t wanna hurt her.”

“What are you really afraid of, Xander?” She asked him. “Because how you’re talking now… you’re sounding like a man in love. A man, in love, with a woman. But something’s keeping you from committing. What is it?”

“My father.” He said, sadly. “He’s a drunk, violent and just miserable man. He doesn’t live, he just exists and I don’t wanna be like that. I’m afraid that that’s how I’m gonna turn out.” He shook his head. “I don’t want that life. I don’t want either of us to have that life.”

Faith again pulled over and turned the car off. “You know, when I was goin’ to school, I actually did pretty well. Got decent enough grades. Didn’t try too hard, but then I didn’t really have to. Just kinda slid by, you know? When I was talking to the guidance councilor, you know what she said? She said I was going to end up just like my mother. Everyone always told me that. My mom was a lot like your dad. She drank too much, did too many drugs and when she didn’t have money to pay for it, she would whore herself out for it. A lot of the time we didn’t have electricity or food. It was a shit life. Made worse by the fact that it was drilled into me that I was gonna end up the same way and should get used to it. Hell, you would think they were all tryin’ to talk me into it.” She shook her head. “But then something strange happened. I met Diana, my Watcher. She pulled me out of the gutter and gave me a chance to be something beyond just a drunk, drugged out whore’s daughter.” She looked at Xander. “She made sure that I would end up nothing like my mother. She showed me a world that I could make a difference in.” She stared into his eyes. “Five and a half years ago, you were given that same opportunity. Look at you now. You’re a man that has literally saved the world several times over. Not a one of us doesn’t owe you our lives. You’re a dyed in the wool, honest to god hero, Xander.” She cocked her head. “Can your dad say that?”

“No.” He said, honestly.

“Kinda already proves that you’re nothing like your father.” She said, turning the car back on. “Getting down to it, my suggestion is this. Talk to Anya. Tell her you wanna wait to get married. That you think it’s too soon and you wanna get established. Let her rant and rave, because let’s face it. She’s Anya. That’s a thing with her. But reassure her that you love her and want her to be happy, but at the same time, the relationship isn’t just about her. She has to take your feelings into account. If she can’t then I suggest bailing. But the longer you put the conversation off, the worse it’ll be when it comes closer to wedding day.”

“I’ll talk to her today,” Xander said, nodding. “I think I need to start standing up for myself to the women of my life.”

Faith pulled into the driveway and saw Giles’ little red convertible in front of the house. “Huh. Tweed is here.”

They took the groceries and headed inside. Giles stood at the counter with a rather beautiful dark skinned woman beside him. He turned to regard Faith as she came in. “Faith. I’d like you to meet Olivia. She’s an old friend from my college days.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Olivia said, happily. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Not a problem.” Faith said, taking her hand. “Gotta say…Tweed’s got taste.” Olivia blushed at the compliment.

“I like her,” Olivia said, with a smile.

“Anya?” Xander asked his fiancé. “Can we talk outside?”

She nodded and left the room, following him out onto the front porch. As she came out, he grabbed her by the arms and pulled her in, kissing her fiercely. She immediately wrapped her arms about him and pressed her body to his. For long moments they shared an impassioned embrace. “Wow.” She said, breathlessly.

“I love you.” He said to her. “I really, truly love you. Not just for the sex, but for everything you are. Even the things about you I hate.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I want you to understand that.”

“I do understand that. I love you, too.” She said to him.

“Good. Because what I’m about to say is going to hurt you, but I want you to give me time to say it and explain myself. Can you do that for me?” He asked her. “Promise me.”

“I promise.” She said, her eyebrows furrowed.

“I don’t want to get married in March. I want to wait for a while.” He frowned as she immediately opened her mouth to speak. “You promised, remember?” She bit her lip and stepped back, crossing her arms and gave a curt nod. He had to admit, it was a hell of a step for her. Normally she would have started shouting. “We don’t  _have_  to get married right away. There’s nothing saying that. But I’m scared, Anya. I’m afraid of  _being_  married.”

She waited a moment, then responded. “Why?”

“You’ve seen my father. You’ve seen the kind of man he is. He’s bitter and spiteful and is just a jerk to my mother. I don’t wanna be like that.”

“You’re not like that,” Anya said.

“Maybe I’m not. But I want time to spend with you before we make that kind of commitment. Yes, I’m willing to marry you and you’ve agreed that you’re willing to marry me.”

“So what’s the problem?” Anya asked, exasperated. “I wanna get married soon.”

“I know you do,” Xander said. “But this is the part where you have to learn that this relationship isn’t just about you. You have to take into consideration how I feel, just as I do for you.” He shook his head. “I still love you and I always will. I’m not breaking up with you. I’m just asking for time to get used to the idea of getting married. Our friends and family will still be there for us when we want to go through with it. I’m asking for a year to get my head wrapped around the idea.”

“But that’s a long time,” Anya said. Her voice was soft and filled with sorrow.

“In some ways, yes it is,” Xander said. “But I don’t want to get married and then find out that we should have waited.”

“But what if we wait and we don’t love each other anymore?” Anya asked. “Have you thought of that?”

“That’s precisely why we  _should_  wait. Marriages are for life, Anya. Until death do us part. Granted for those of us that live on a Hellmouth, that might not be as long as it sounds, it’s still a hell of a step. And would you want to be stuck in a marriage with a man that you don’t love anymore?”

“But I’ll always love you, Xander.” She said, tears in her eyes. “Always.”

“Then waiting a year, won’t matter, will it?” He asked her. “You’re the first woman that’s ever told me she loves me. I don’t take that kind of thing lightly. Hurting you is the last thing I ever wanna do. But I want some time. I feel that I’ve earned the right to ask for it.”

“You promise that we’ll get married in a year?” She asked him.

“Tell you what?” He pulled her in. “We’ll have a holiday wedding.”

“Married on Christmas? That way we can get a whole bunch of gifts.” Anya said, happily.

“Deal. If we still feel the same, then we’ll get married next Christmas.” Xander offered.

“I’ll still be in love with you,” Anya said. She took his hand and rested it on her breast. “And you’ll still be in love with me. I’ll make sure of it.”

“Sex can’t solve all of our problems, Anya,” Xander said, softly.

“Even if I wear the little maid outfit and give you the licorice ropes again?” Anya asked him.

“Well, if you’re gonna play dirty…” He said, smiling and kissing her.

“That’s Anya and Xander,” Buffybot said, cheerily. “They’re engaged.” The pair turned to see the blonde walking hand in hand with a tall average looking young man dressed in a nice button down shirt and a pair of slacks. It was a bit of a contradiction to Buffybot’s simple jeans and a t-shirt. “Anya, Xander. This is Daniel. He’s my boyfriend.”

Xander offered his hand. “Hey, Daniel. Nice to finally meet the man that stole Buffy’s heart. She’s a great girl.”

“Yeah, she really is.” He said. “I know she’s a robot.” He said, off-hand. “So you don’t have watch what you say.”

“Good. I’m sure I’d have screwed it up at some point.” Xander said, smiling.

Daniel took Anya’s hand and kissed the back of it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am. Xander is a lucky man.”

“Yes, he is,” Anya said, looking at her man. She turned back to Buffybot. “Have you had orgasms together yet?”

Daniel suddenly blushed terribly, but Buffybot simply nodded emphatically. “Yes, we have. Many times. He has a very large penis.” She said. “It feels really good.”

“Jesus.” Xander and Daniel said in unison, both men buried their faces in their hands.

“We should go inside,” Buffybot said, taking Daniel’s hand. “You should meet the rest of the family.”

Daniel sighed and followed her. “What have I gotten myself into?”

Xander slapped him on the back as he walked in behind the pair. “I’ve been a part of this group for five and a half years and I still find myself asking that very same question on occasion.”

Daniel looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Xander simply smiled at him.

 


	30. Chapter 30

 

“That depends.” Faith said as she sat on Dawn’s bed, looking over the two shirts the teen held up. “What are you going for? Friendzone, or fun zone?”

Dawn sighed. “That’s just it, I don’t know. I mean…I don’t wanna look cheap or anything, but then again I wanna play it kinda sexy.”

“Try em’ both on for me.”

Dawn nodded and stepped behind the privacy screen. “I’m not even sure if she’ll like me in that way.”

“You never know until you try.” Faith said. “Given how badly things went down last time you two went out on the town, she might have just sworn guys off completely.”

“This is Janice we’re talking about,” Dawn said, chuckling. “She would never swear off guys.”

“Give it a shot, squirt. You never know. I never thought in a million years I’d be with Red, but here I am.”

“That’s definitely true,” Dawn said. “Never would have thought that Anya would show any kind of patience, either, but there it was.”

“Yeah, that one threw me, too. I was sure she’d be uber pissed. But she was pretty cool about it. I think that allowing him to postpone the wedding just proves that she does actually love Xander and it’s not just hormones.” She sighed. “I was never so happy to be proven wrong.”

“You seriously thought those two was just hormones?” Dawn said, stepping out from behind the screen. “So this is option one.”

“To be honest yeah, I did. It seems the only thing they have in common is sex.” Faith looked her over. With the rather snug black jeans the girl was wearing, the maroon scoop-neck top looked pretty good. She had to admit, Dawn had it goin’ on. “I’m gonna say this …if Janice ain’t interested, there’s something wrong with that girl.” Faith made a push-up motion with her own breasts. “Gotta adjust the fun-bags, girlfriend. Give some more cleave up in this bitch. Give her something to drool over.”

Dawn, without embarrassment, did as she was instructed. “Like this?” Now the girl’s assets were on proud display.

“Now we’re talkin’.” Faith said. “That’d do it for me.”

Dawn smiled and turned to look at herself in the mirror. “You know, I didn’t think my boobs were that big.”

“Bigger than your sisters.”

Dawn raised an eyebrow and looked back at Faith. “How would you know how big my sister’s boobs were?”

“Guess I better come clean with it, then.” Faith said. “You at least deserve to know. Back before everything went to shit, before the whole Allan Finch thing, I came to the school. I’d just found a nest and wondered if your sister wanted to take a walk on the wild side…”

 

Faith trotted through the cemetery and finally approached the massive crypt. She crept about the outside, looking for any kind of access she could find. She smiled as she saw a small window high up on the back, cloaked in shadows. She looked around to be certain she wouldn’t be seen and jumped, catching the ledge and pulling herself up.

She peered inside and smiled as she counted them out. “Eight, huh?” She bit her lip and shook her head. “Damn.” She dropped to the ground and knelt by the back wall. “Gonna need a hand on this one.” She looked at her watch and sighed. She got to her feet and ran toward the high school.

She moved quietly toward building, careful of the arrogant little troll that had somehow attained the position of principal. She truly hated the guy. He was such a little prick that it wasn’t even funny. She couldn’t even count how many times she wished the guy would take a walk through a graveyard in the middle of the night. He so needed to get eaten by vampires. No one was more deserving in her estimation.

She moved up to the window to see Buffy sitting and chatting with her friends. She checked around the classroom to see if the teacher was present. She grinned and tapped on the window, opening it. The act garnered the attention of the entire class. She looked at Buffy with a wide smile. “Hey, girlfriend. Bad time?” She asked. As Buffy simply stared at her, Faith moved to the glass beside the open window, wiped it clean and stepped up, breathing on it, creating fog. She quickly drew a heart and a straight line into the center of it, wiggling her eyebrows at Buffy.

It took the blonde slayer all of about two seconds to make her choice. Buffy slid off her stool.

“No, sh-she can’t,” Willow said, concern in her voice. As Buffy ignored the pair and moved to the window, Willow spoke up. “You can’t! Can you?”

Faith leaned back and motioned with a sweep of her arm. Buffy climbed out the window, letting Faith close it behind them.

“So what’s up?” Buffy asked as the pair walked away from the school.

“Vampires.” Faith said, keeping an eye out for Snyder.

“Uh, Faith, unless there’s a total eclipse in the next five minutes, it’s daylight,” Buffy said, looking around skeptically.

Faith smiled at her. “Good for us, bad for them. Found a nest.”

Buffy offered a like grin. “Has potential.” She followed Faith as they made their way across town. “You really do enjoy this, don’t you?”

Faith nodded. “Yeah, I do. I mean, think about it, B. We’re superhuman. All the little kids out there that wanted to be a superhero when they grew up? Superman or Supergirl, Spiderman. All the rest. They spend hours reading the comics, watching the cartoons.” She shook her head. “And here we are, livin’ the dream. What about that isn’t cool?”

Buffy had to admit, the girl had a point. “Is that what you wanted when you were growing up? To be a superhero?”

Faith shrugged. “Sometimes. I think every kid did at one point or another.”

“Strangely, I never did.” Buffy offered. “I know that sounds a little weird.”

“Not coming from you.” Faith said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Buffy asked her.

“Oh come on, B. You used to be white bread and twinkies boring. The most adventurous thing you did as a child was have mustard on a hamburger.”

“Eww, no. That’s just gross. Ketchup only. A little mayo, but only if it has bacon on it. And no onions. They make your breath smell.” Buffy said. “And for your information, I did plenty of adventurous things when I was little, thank you very much.”

“Not according to your mom.” Faith said with a smile. “We talked a lot about you when you went chasing after Angel on Christmas.”

Buffy sighed. “I knew leaving the two of you alone together was gonna come back to bite me in the ass.” She said, playfully.

“Them’s the breaks, girlfriend.” Faith countered in the same spirit. “So what did you wanna be when you were little B?”

“You’re gonna laugh,” Buffy said, blushing. “I wanted to be like Dorothy Hamill.”

Faith furrowed her brow. “Name sounds familiar.”

“She’s a figure skater.” Buffy offered. “Gold medal in the Olympics in 1976.”

“You wanted to be a figure skater?” Faith asked her. “You know how to ice skate?”

Buffy nodded. “Pretty good at it, too. Just…haven’t had much time for it since the whole slayer bit kinda took over.” She gave a soft sigh. “I miss it, sometimes.”

Faith, for one of the first times in her life, genuinely felt sorry for someone. “Sorry, B.” She said, softly. “I guess…well shit was pretty bad where I came from. It’s kinda sad, really but bein’ called as a slayer was the best thing to ever happen to me. It’s been rocky, ain’t arguin’ that, but…” She shrugged. “I just don’t miss my life before all this.” She stopped and looked at the blonde. “I guess it ain’t the great gift to everyone else that is was to me.”

“I don’t hate being the slayer, Faith. I don’t. I mean, yeah, there are times when I would like to be able to give it up and just be normal again, but…” She shook her head. “When I thought I was losing my slayer powers, when I was going back to being just, just Buffy,” She shook her head. “I was scared. Having all of this for two years and then  _wham_  it’s gone? It was, it was horrifying. I didn’t know what to do.”

“Well, it didn’t help that they locked you in a fuckin’ room with some badass serial killer vamp and left you to die.” Faith said. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t call me, B.” Her voice sounded genuinely hurt. “I’d have been there for you.”

Buffy immediately glared. “You took off, Faith. You have a habit of doing that.”

Faith sighed and stepped back. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry.” She continued walking. “I just get bored here sometimes. I mean we patrol almost every night. If we go more than two or three nights with nothin’ I get…I don’t know. I get itchy. I gotta find somethin’ to do. This town has like, squat going on for it. One night club and a million graveyards and still we go stretches with no vamps to dust. I can’t get behind that.”

Buffy nodded, falling in beside her. “I’m sorry, Faith. I’m not trying to piss you off. If I’d have known how to get a hold of you, I would have.”

“I have a cell phone, B.” Faith snapped.

“Yeah, you do.” Buffy snarked back. “And please note, for the record that you didn’t give me the number of that cell phone until last week. That whole fiasco went down three weeks ago.”

Faith turned to look at her. “You never asked.” She said, softly.

Buffy stared back at her as they entered the graveyard. “I suppose that’s true.” She said, matching Faith’s subtle tone. “I’m sorry, Faith. I guess…I just don’t think about it.”

“That’s news.” The brunette shot in harshly.

“I’m trying to be sincere, you bitch,” Buffy said, anger creeping in.

“Never took apologies well.” Faith said, trying to calm her own antagonism. “Sorry.”

“You’re really not used to having friends, are you?”

“Not so much, no.” Faith said, moving up to the crypt. “This is it.” She moved around and jumped up to look in the window. “They’re still in there. Eight of ‘em.”

Buffy nodded and limbered up. She bent at the waist, pressing her face to her knees. She stood and shook her hands, cracking her knuckles. “Okay, how do you wanna play it?”

Faith grinned at her. “Come on, B. This is me we’re talkin’ about.” Faith stepped back to rush the door. “I don’t plan.”

Buffy giggled and stepped back with her. “Yeah. I noticed. But remember, counting isn’t planning.”

Faith snickered as well. “It’s Sesame Street. And  _this_  is you get there.” The pair counted to three and ran. They jumped in tandem, smashing through the large glass and wooden doors, spilling sunlight into the room. The light fell upon a vampire sleeping on the ground, causing his arm to burst into flames. The vampires scattered.

“Rise and shine, people.” Faith said gleefully.

“This is your wake-up call,” Buffy added. The girls each pulled a stake.

The vampires were caught completely unaware. The pair of slayers went to work. Buffy chalked right while Faith moved left. Buffy ran and dropped to her knees, sliding in the dust, well below the vampire as he swung haphazardly at her face. She moved past him, driving her stake into the back of his leg. As he pitched backward, she shot up, spun, and caught him with a boot to the chest. He was instantly hammered into the ground. She dusted him and moved to her next target. The vampire tried to mount an offense with a long piece of broken wood. She brought her arm up. The club exploded against her right bicep, ripping her jacket and tearing a gash in her flesh. She ignored it and drilled him across the teeth, spinning him to the floor. She booted him in the ribs, sending him sailing toward one of his companions.

She quickly spun in place, taking the vampire behind her out without looking. She kept grinning the whole time. She ran over and stomped the vampire she’d given the boot to into the ground, dazing him. She spun kicked the other as he tried to rise. “Not a good day to be a bad guy.” She said, dusting the pair of them in one swift motion.

Faith ran and jump-kicked the first vamp into the wall with enough force to flower the stone. The beast slid to the floor, his bell well and truly rung. The remaining three tried to rush her. She backed up to the wall and grinned. “Come and get me, boys.” And they did just that. She lashed out with a boot that pushed the closest vampire back a few steps. His companions filled the void. She gave the vampire on the left a high side kick that snapped his face aside. The vampire on the right caught a sharp jab to the dome, staggering him back a pace. It was all the recovery time she needed. She jammed her stake into the right vamp, spun, dropping to her knee and taking the vamp on the left, leaving one vampire to recuperate and come at her.

She waited until he was almost on her, then sidestepped, grabbed his arm and threw him into the wall. As soon as he impacted, she took him out. She spun back to her first victim. He was slowly coming to his feet. She ran and spun, pinning his neck to the wall with her boot heel. His feet dangled off the ground. He gripped at her ankle and foot, trying to free himself. She gave him a sinister grin. “Who’s your daddy, bitch?” She said, before putting the stake through his chest. As he dusted, she looked over to see Buffy taking out her last vampire. “God, I love this.”

The blonde dusted herself off and smiled brightly. “Never used to have this much fun before.”

“You just gotta embrace it, B.” Faith said. “It may not be what you wanted, but it’s a part of you now. No sense in trying to fight it.”

Buffy stared into the brunette’s eyes. “I’m starting to.” She said. “I just…I’m never gonna stop wanting a normal life.”

“Nothing wrong with wanting one.” Faith said. She took a chance and reached up, brushing an errant lock of golden hair from Buffy’s face. She didn’t pull away. “The pain comes from  _expecting_  one.” She shook her head. “Normal ain’t somethin’ people like us are ever gonna have.”

“How do you do it?” Buffy asked, lowering her eyes. “How do you just…stop caring?”

“I do care, B.” Faith said, her voice soft. She lifted Buffy’s face to stare at her. “I’ve always cared. I just don’t fight what I am.”

“But…is this all that we are, Faith?” Buffy asked, taking the girl’s hand. “Are we  _just_  slayers?”

“Me? Yeah. I don’t got much to offer anyone, B. Being a slayer is probably one of the only things I’ve ever been good at. But you?” Faith shook her head. “You’re more than this. You always will be.” She leaned down toward Buffy’s lips.

“What are you doing?” Buffy asked.

“I thought I’d try kissing you.” Faith said. “Being that we just took out a bunch of vamps. I know how we get.”

“It’s dirty in here, Faith,” Buffy said, her voice thick. She couldn’t deny that she felt… warm.

“Do you want me to stop?” Faith asked, her arms snaking around the blonde’s waist.

“Why are you doing this?” Buffy asked. She didn’t turn away from the girl.

“Because.” Faith said, leaning in to peck her on the lips. “I’m a bit on the horny side. And I think you know exactly how that feels. You’ve just been too afraid of taking a chance to act on it.”

“I don’t…” Buffy began, returning Faiths’ questioning kiss.

“You can’t lie to me, B. I can tell that, despite what you used to be, you’re not as plain vanilla as you want others to think you are.” Faith’s hands slid down her back to gently knead her bottom.

Buffy moaned softly. “Faith…” The girl’s voice was barely a whisper.

“Just tell me to stop B and I’ll stop.” Faith said, leaning in to kiss the side of the girl’s neck.

“…stop,” Buffy said, labored of breath. “Don’t…stop.” She reached up and took a hold of Faith’s thick hair. “This stays between us.”

“You got it.” Faith said. “I don’t kiss and tell.” She went at the blonde with abandon. She knew she was getting a glimpse of a side Buffy that few, if any, had ever seen. Beneath the brutal and powerful exterior, Buffy was just a girl, like her, that wanted to  _live_  before it was all taken away by a vampire that was just a little too fast, a little too strong, or a little too well prepared.

 

“So you and Buffy  _did_  have sex,” Dawn said, her voice tight. “You said you didn’t.”

“No, I didn’t.” Faith said. “I never answered you at all.”

“How come you never told me?” Dawn asked. “How come Buffy never told me?”

Faith leaned back on the bed on her elbows. “First off, it wasn’t my place to tell you. If B wanted you to know, she would have told you.”

“But we were friends,” Dawn said, sounding hurt.

“Yeah, we were.” Faith said. “And you were also twelve.”

“I was thirteen, thank you very much.” Dawn snapped. “And don’t give me that crap, you were only like, what? Fifteen, sixteen at the time?”

“Yeah, I was. Pretty much the same age you are now.” Faith said. “Which is why I’m telling you now. You weren’t ready to hear it then. You were just a little kid. Now you’re growing up and can stand to hear the truth.”

“I’m not sure if I should be creeped out by that or not,” Dawn said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Don’t read anything into it, kiddo.” Faith said. “Me and B were friends back in the day. At least some of the time.”

“You know…” Dawn said, looking at Faith. “My sister really did kinda like you. I mean she hated the fact that I idolized you. I think she was jealous more than anything. But she did genuinely like you. Her hang-up was that she thought you were a replacement. That you were gonna just sweep in and take everything from her.”

“Caught that.” Faith said, laying flat. “She’s always been a jealous bitch. She was jealous of Red because she was pretty normal, all things considered. I mean, yeah, she liked and respected that Willow chose to fight the good fight with her, but she was always jealous that Red had the  _choice_. She was jealous of Queen C because of how she was popular and kinda highlighted everything that B used to be, but wouldn’t be able to again. Then there’s me. I think she was jealous of how I approached slaying. To me, it’s one of the greatest things in the world. Buffy could never understand that. At least, not fully.”

Dawn giggled. “You know she used to say that slaying is one of the two things you do best. Until now, I never truly realized how much of an innuendo that really was.”

Faith gave a grin. “She said it after that night, didn’t she?”

“From what I remember.” Dawn rose to her feet. “Given that you’ve currently got two girlfriends…I’m pretty sure I know what the other one was.” She nodded. “I’m gonna go with this one.”

“Looks good on you.” Faith said. “You want me to play chauffeur, or you guys gonna ankle express it?”

“We’ll walk. It’s not that far and it’s not as dangerous out tonight thanks to you, Spike and Buffybot doing a good solid sweep yesterday.”

“We wanted to make sure you were okay tonight.” Faith said. She looked at her watch. “Double B gets off work in about twenty. Did you want me to drop you off at Janice’s place on my way?”

“Sure,” Dawn said, grabbing her leather jacket. She pulled open the top drawer of her dresser and pulled a pair of stakes out, sliding them into her pockets. She then took out a small felt covered box and flipped it open to reveal a beautiful silver cross necklace. She put it around her neck and closed it, tossing it back into the drawer. “I’m ready.”

“Got your cell in case you need help?” Faith asked her. “And your wallet.”

Dawn patted her pockets and snapped her fingers. “Thanks for reminding me.” She opened the nightstand and pulled both out, putting the phone into her front jeans pocket and the wallet in her back pocket.

“Need any cash?” Faith asked her.

Dawn shook her head. “Nope. I’m good.”

After being told to have fun and to enjoy herself, Dawn climbed into the passenger seat of Faith’s car. A few minutes later, she was standing at Janice’s front door as Faith drove off. She waved to the slayer and turned, rapping on the door lightly.

Mrs. Penshaw, Janice’s mother opened the door and smiled brightly. “Good evening, Dawn.” She stepped aside to allow the girl in. “Janice is just about ready.”

“Thanks,” Dawn said, trotting up the stairs to the girl’s room. She knocked on the door, then opened it. Janice stood, dressed in a short denim skirt and a black lace bra. She was looking at a few shirts that lay on her bed. Dawn stared at the girl. “Hey.” She said, trying to keep her voice steady. She always thought Janice was pretty. Seeing her without a shirt just reinforced her earlier inclination.

“I can’t decide what shirt to wear,” Janice said. “Blue, black or the emerald green?”

“The blue is long sleeve, so no,” Dawn said, shaking her head. “The black one is nice. It shows a lot of skin, but…” She shrugged. “The emerald green blouse is nice, but it reminds me too much of something your mom would wear.”

“My mom has one in maroon,” Janice said, putting the blue and the green tops back in the closet. She pulled on the black top and situated her assets accordingly. “How do I look?”

Dawn nodded. “You look really good.”

“So where did you wanna go?” The girl asked.

“I don’t know,” Dawn said. “We can hit someplace to get a bite to eat, maybe a movie or we could go to the Bronze.”

Janice grabbed her coat and pulled it on. “Let’s go.” She said, heading for the door. Dawn took a moment and checked the girl out as she walked along in front of her. “Bye, mom. I’ll see you later.”

“Be safe and have fun.” Mrs. Penshaw offered from the kitchen. “Be back at eleven.” Normally, Janice’s curfew was nine o’clock on the weekends, but after a bit of prompting, the woman decided to be generous and give them both an extra two hours. They were both incredibly appreciative of it.

As the pair walked along, Janice went on and on about boys, clothes, and her Facebook page. Dawn, with her current lot in life, wasn’t all that interested in boys. Of the boys that seemed to flock around the pair, most were vapid, crude and tended to be boring as hell. Her fashion sense, heavily influenced by Faith, was just as cutting edge as any girl her age, but she didn’t think about it as the be all and end all of her existence like most teenagers did. And Facebook, to Dawn, was a rather huge waste of time. She never saw the appeal. She had a few online friends, but they exchanged cursory messages at best and infrequently posted this or that on each other’s walls.

But to Janice Penshaw, boys were the bee's knees, shopping should be an Olympic sport and social media was the greatest invention since the wheel.

Slowly, as the night went on, Dawn wholeheartedly abandoned her thoughts of moving from BFF’s with Janice to the realm of possible girlfriend. She also found that she didn’t really feel bad about the idea. Janice was a great friend. She was fun, she was entertaining and she was a joy to be around. But Dawn couldn’t see the pair of them in a long term relationship.

Janice was not the kind of girl you could sit on the sofa with and watch bad movies, making fun of them with a tub of ice cream. For dinner, the girl ordered a mixed green salad with fat-free Italian dressing and a glass of lemon water. She ate like a bird.

The movie that she’d wanted to see was some new romantic comedy that Dawn found to be more patronizing than anything else. Leaving the theater, she couldn’t even remember the main character’s name. It was boring as sin to her.

But the time the pair spent at the Bronze sealed it. In the span of an hour, Janice danced with not less than half a dozen guys and gave her phone number to each and every one of them. Dawn danced with two boys and a really attractive brunette woman by the name of Brie. The woman, who had to be pushing twenty-five, gave Dawn  _her_  phone number.

“Thanks for bringing me out like this,” Janice said, downing her soda. “This was fun.”

“No problem. Felt you could probably use a night away from your folks. We haven’t really hung out seriously since Halloween. And we both know what a cluster that turned out to be.”

“Wasn’t all bad,” Janice said, shrugging. “Faith coverin’ for us was pretty cool. She’s pretty awesome.”

“Yeah, she is,” Dawn said. “I’m glad you had fun.”

“Truthfully…” Janice began. “When you said you wanted to take me out on the town, I thought you were gonna, like, start hitting on me and stuff. ‘Cause I mean we kissed that one time…”

Dawn just looked at her. “Yeah, we did kiss. I thought it was pretty nice.”

“It was, I’m not arguing that, but…” She smiled at Dawn. “I’m just glad you didn’t, you know, go all lesbo on me. That would have been weird. I do appreciate that. At least I tried with you, you know? Not some chick that was gonna read, like, way more into it than there was.”

Dawn nodded. That told her everything she needed to know. “It’s cool. I think we make better friends that we ever would girlfriends, anyway.”

“Seriously,” Janice said. “This one boy I knew last year, he was really cool, but, like an idiot I slept with him. Big mistake. He started like, calling me at all hours of the night…” She launched into a long story that continued as they made their way home.

Dawn sighed and listened, like a dutiful friend. She moved along beside the girl as she talked. It took her a moment to realize when Janice had stopped talking. She turned to the girl… and saw that she had disappeared. “Janice?” She asked, looking about. She doubled back down the street to a darkened alley a few feet back. She saw her friend being pulled down the narrow lane by a shadowy assailant. He had a hand over the girl’s mouth and his arm around her chest, pinning her own arms to her sides.

Dawn immediately broke into a run, pulling a stake from her pocket as she did so. “Leave her alone, you bastard!” She shouted at him.

He smiled and tossed Janice aside, sending her crashing into a pile of debris. “Two for the price of one. Looks like I’m havin’ a good night.” He growled, his face a mask of vampiric glee.

“It’s about to take a turn for the worse, asshole,” Dawn said, lunging at him with the stake.

The vampire was surprised by the girl’s attack but managed to bat the strike away. Dawn’s stake flew out of her hand, bouncing down the alleyway. “Oh, looks like you lost your toy.” He loosed a hard haymaker at her head.

As she’d seen Faith do a dozen times, Dawn leaned back, putting her hand on the ground for balance, allowing the strike to fly harmlessly over her head. She straightened back up and immediately planted her foot directly into his midsection, extending her leg. The force of the kick staggered him back several steps. She took the opportunity and pulled her second stake free. As his arms flailed to keep himself from falling, the lean teenager was in motion. She was scared to death but kept her panic in check.

Faith had told her numerous times that fear was okay. It wasn’t about  _not_  being scared. It was about acting, about doing what needed to be done,  _despite_ the fear. So Dawn shoved her terror down deep and kept in mind that if she fell, Janice would die. She wasn’t gonna lose her best friend on her watch. She took two steps and jumped, landing a hard kick to the vampire’s chest, throwing him back into a stack of pallets. As the vampire struggled to get back up, Dawn came in and plunged the stake down into his chest. “Told you your night was gonna get worse.” She said as he flitted away in a hail of dust. She stepped back breathing heavily, letting her nerves calm. She started when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun, her stake at the ready. She immediately lowered it when she saw Janice’s tear streaked terrified face. “Are you okay?” She asked.

The girl nodded. “You…you saved my life,” Janice said, softly. “I thought I was dead.”

“You’re my friend, Janice,” Dawn said, smiling. She gathered her fallen stake and tucked it away in her pocket. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”

“Where did you learn to fight like that?” Janice asked. “You looked like Faith.”

“Funny you should put it that way,” Dawn said, leading the girl back to the street.

Faith, Tara, and Willow were all sitting on the sofa watching a movie when Dawn came into the house. “Hey, Dawn,” Willow said.

“How’d the date go?” Faith asked.

“Had to kill a vampire,” Dawn said as she hung her jacket up.

“Really?” Willow said, concern in her voice. “Are you alright?”

“Oh, yeah,” Dawn said. “I’m fine. He was pretty new.” She smiled at Faith. “With everything you taught me, I took him out pretty quickly. I was scared, but I kept my shi…um, stuff in check.”

Tara nodded to her in appreciation for watching her language.

“So no one got hurt?” Faith asked.

“No, we’re both good,” Dawn said. “Janice was a little freaked on the way home.” She moved over and flopped down onto the easy chair beside the sofa. “Janice and I are still friends.” She said, looking at Faith. “ _Just_  friends.”

“She didn’t go for it, huh?” The slayer asked.

“I didn’t ask,” Dawn said. “I realized as we were talking that she would just piss me off if we were dating. With her, it’s boys, clothes, and Facebook. That’s literally all she talked about.” Dawn shook her head. “Not my bag.”

“I’m sorry, Dawnie.” Tara offered. “I know you were excited about it.”

“It’s okay. Janice kinda laid it out for me, you know. She said that she was glad that I didn’t read too much into the kiss we shared. To her, it was just a test balloon to see if she was gay. Turns out I am, but she’s not interested.” Dawn pulled out the napkin with a phone number on it. “Did get a woman’s phone number, though.”

“Ooh.” Faith said, smiling. “Do tell. Is she hot?”

“Oh, yeah. She was hot.” Dawn said. “Said her name was Brie.”

Willow blanched. “Tall, long dark hair, model good looks?”

Dawn nodded. “Yeah. You know her?”

Willow blushed. “We’ve met.”

Both Tara and Faith slowly turned to the redhead. “Really?” They both said in unison.

“This looks like an A, B conversation, so I’m seein’ my way out of it,” Dawn said, getting her feet and heading into the kitchen.

Willow suddenly knew what being a worm in the bottom of a bird’s nest felt like.

 


	31. Chapter 31

 

“Summers!” Manny the manager shouted from the door of his office.

Buffybot turned from her position at the register to regard him. “Yes, Manny?” She asked him politely.

“Can I speak with you in my office, please?” He went back inside and sat at the desk, going over a bit of paperwork. She stepped in and stood at the desk patiently. “Close the door.” He said, not looking up. She did as requested and moved back to standing, idly waiting. He looked up at her and motioned for her to have a seat. “You don’t have to worry, this isn’t anything bad.” He said, with a dopey smile. It seemed to be the only smile he was really capable of. “How long have you been with us?” He asked her.

“I started at four o’clock PM on October 28th. Exactly thirty-nine days as of today.” She said. She sighed heavily. “I’m still in my ninety-day probationary period.”

“I’ve just spent the past half hour going over your performance with the corporate office in San Diego,” Manny said, shuffling some of the paperwork on his desk. “How do you like working here?”

“I enjoy it very much. Some of the employees seem very lazy, but I really like the job.” Buffybot said, smiling.

“Since your redheaded friend came in and fixed our cameras, we’ve been able to identify a lot of our problem employees. We’re gearing up for a major hiring spree so we can cut some of the dead weight. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. The big wigs in the main office are in agreement with me. You are, bar none, the best employee we’ve had in the past decade, maybe _ever_. They left the decision up to me. So I guess I’ll come right out with it. How would you like to be Assistant Manager?”

Buffybot nodded happily. “I’d like that.”

“Just to let you know, it comes with five dollars more an hour, but there is a lot more responsibility. And you get called to pick up shifts that need covering. There’s paperwork involved and a host of other duties. You sure you can live with that?”

“I can do that.” She said, happily. “Thank you, Manny.”

“Now, to prevent conflicts of interest, I have to ask some rather…personal questions about your relationship with Daniel. Being Assistant Manager means that you’ll have to direct him in his duties and, if necessary, discipline him.”

“Daniel is a very good worker,”Buffybot said. “I don’t believe that will be a problem. If he is not performing his job in a satisfactory manner, I will issue the disciplinary measures, per the Doublemeat Palace employee handbook.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear.” He offered her a few papers. “I just need you to sign these, here.” As she jotted her name, he smiled brightly. “Congratulations. You’re now management. You’ll see the difference on your next paycheck.”

“Thank you.” She said, brightly. “Should I finish the day as my duties per my old position?”

He nodded. “I’ll announce it during the employee meeting tomorrow. Go ahead and go back to work.”

She nodded and moved back out to take her position at the register. She couldn’t be happier. Faith was going to be so proud of her.

 

“How does it feel?” Tony asked Faith as she sat behind the controls of the forklift.

She adjusted the levers this way and that. “I think I got the hang of it.” She said. “Might wanna start with something cheap and expendable.” She grinned. “Say, Hector’s CRX.”

“Fuck you, Lehane!” The large Hispanic man shouted. “My car’s awesome.”

The pair snickered. “Not so much, bro,” Tony said. “Why don’t you move that pallet of cable spools into the yard for me?”

She nodded and pulled the machine around. She was extremely careful with it and after a few tries, she got it up and moving. She set it down and drove back out. For the remainder of her day, it was similar. She spent a majority of it behind the wheel of the forklift, moving things around the site.

“Can I speak to you in my office a minute before you go?” Tony asked her as she shut the big machine down.

“Sure.” She said, climbing out of the rig. She followed him across the yard to his trailer. She sat down in the chair as he took the seat behind his desk.

“Christ, I have to clean this damn thing off.” He said, moving his papers this way and that. “So I was talking to the company head…” He looked around. “Fuck, where did I put it?” He said. “Ah, here we go. I was talking to him and he wanted to know if you wanted to sign on to the project full time as a part of the crew?”

“I thought I was.” She said.

“Actually, I had to list you as a temp. It was the only way I could make it work with you not having any kind of certifications. But over the past month and change you’ve actually demonstrated enough skill with the tools and equipment that the bossman has pushed a lot of your cert’s through. The only thing he needs you to do is to take a few competency tests downtown next Monday. If you’re willing to do that, we can actually bring you on board full time as a part of the crew. And thanks to you, this job is ahead of schedule. Everyone gets a bonus if we finish sooner than expected. And after this, we got a lot more projects lined up. I’d like to have you be part of the team.” He raised his hand to stall her a moment. “And yes, you can keep the schedule you have now. There will be times we might need you earlier or later, but with your abilities and what you’ve done for the project, I’m definitely willing to work around it. I’ll do my best not to let it be a constant.” He smiled. “Whattaya say?”

Faith thought it over a moment. “I’ll stay at the same pay, right?”

“Actually, they’ve given me permission to bump you up a couple bucks.” He grinned. “Take it as a serious compliment, because the guy we work for is a tight ass.”

“Twenty-three bucks an hour?” She nodded. “Sure, why not? I’m on board.” She offered her his hand. “What time is the testing on Monday?”

“It’s an all day thing, but you gotta be at the interim City Hall at eight.” He said, shaking her hand. “Thanks for agreeing to this.”

“No sweat. I actually like working here. You and the guys are awesome. And it’s a hell of a workout. With all the responsibilities I have now, I don’t have a lot of time for it. This place gives me that.”

“Well, you’ve saved a hell of a lot of time and a hell of a lot of money on our fuel bill. I’m still not sure how you’re as strong as you are, but I’m so not knockin’ it.”

“Good genes.” Faith said, smiling.

He gave her an avarice smile. “Yes, they are.”

She giggled and shot in, kissing his cheek. “Letch.”

“I am a dude.” He said, in his defense.

“So true.” She said. “I gotta bail. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She left his office, giving her hips a bit more pop than she normally did to give him a little treat.

She climbed into her car and drove to the school to pick Dawn up. As the teen climbed into the car, Faith smiled at her. “How was school?”

“Oddly school like,” Dawn said, tossing her bag in the back. “Why is it teachers go out of their way to be boring?”

“Some of them are interesting.” Faith offered. “I had a couple that seemed to give a shit.”

“This town certainly doesn’t seem to have any,” Dawn said, pouting. “They just talk and talk and don’t actually try to make it fun.”

“You had a quiz today, didn’t you?” Faith asked as they drove toward the Magic Box.

“That obvious, huh?” Dawn asked, giggling. “I had three, actually. Math, Biology and English Lit.”

“How’d you do?” Faith asked. “I know math has been kinda slappin’ you around this year.”

“Got an eighty-seven percent. That’s still a B. Blew the Biology test out of the water. Ninety-seven on that one and hit an even ninety in English. We were quizzed on the book we just read.”

“Refresh my memory, what book was it?” Faith asked.

“Journey to the Center of the Earth. We’re doing Science Fiction classics right now. Mrs. Phillips is a hardcore nerd and tested us on stuff that was only in the original book. A few of the kids just watched one of the movies that was out and bombed the test because none of the stuff on the test was in any of the movies.” Dawn smiled. She was actually proud of herself.

“Well, good on you, squirt.” Faith said. “Tell you what? After we get your training done, we’ll stop and grab dinner someplace. Your choice.”

“Strangely, I was hoping you’d be willing to make meat loaf,” Dawn said. “Tara pulled two packages of burger out.”

“We got everything we need at the house?” Faith asked, smiling.

“I made sure to leave a list with Tara and Willow,” Dawn said. “But I want the one you make with pineapple in it.”

“Oh, the teriyaki Hawaiian?” Faith asked her.

“That’s really good,” Dawn said. “I bragged about it to Janice’s mom and she tried making it when I stayed at her house a while ago.” She looked at Faith and shook her head. “Didn’t really work out as well as yours.”

“Probably because she used the wrong kind of pineapple. She used chunks, didn’t she?” At Dawn’s nod, she chuckled. “You gotta used crushed, not chunks. And you have to drain it really well, otherwise, it won’t stay together and it’s mushy as hell.” Faith offered. “I can make that for you if you want.” It actually meant a lot to her that Dawn would rather have her cook than go out to eat somewhere. The teen seriously loved her take out.

A few minutes later, the pair drove into the parking lot in the rear of the Magic Box. They both took their gym bags from the trunk and headed to the front, through the main entrance. A few patrons perused the goods available. Giles and Olivia both stood with an armload of books shelving them. Anya manned the register and cranked her charm up to eleven as she tried to upsell every patron that came in. Faith had to give credit where credit was due. Despite being crass and completely devoid of subtlety around the group, when she was talking to a customer, she had a way of making that person feel like the most important individual in the world. It was rather amazing.

Before Giles brought Anya on board, the shop was doing alright. It made enough to pay for itself and Giles’ flat and even gave him a little extra to buy a nice midlife-crisis-mobile.

But since the perky ex-demon came on the scene, the business has exploded. They were making money hand over fist. And it was all thanks to the woman at the register. She looked up at Faith and Dawn and gave a warm greeting smile before going back to work.

“Hey, Tweed. Hey, Liv.” Faith offered making her way past them. She offered her fist to Olivia, who bumped it with a smile.

“Hello, Faith.” The woman returned happily.

“How are you diggin’ life in Sunnydale?” Faith asked her.

“Pretty good,” Olivia said. She looked at Giles with moon eyes. “It’s got its perks.” Giles gave a boyish smile and continued to shelve the volumes in his arms. “I’m actually talking with the bank to see about purchasing the Gallery that Joyce Summers used to own. It’s been shut down since she passed. I’d like to reopen it.”

Faith nodded. “That’d be pretty cool. I know we got a lot of the stuff she had on display in the basement at the house. If you manage to get it together, we’ll bring it all in for you. That way you don’t have to get all brand new stock.”

“I’d appreciate that.” She offered.

Faith and Dawn both left the three to their tasks while they went in and spent the obligatory two hours training. Faith put the younger Summers through her paces as she always did, critiquing when she needed it and praising a particularly good maneuver.

Dawn was learning well and was showing tremendous progress. The girl was already able to get nearly two hundred pounds on a bench press and had really good stamina. When they first started, a two-hour workout damn near killed the teen. But now she was able to keep a good, solid pace throughout and had hardly a labored breath. Even at nearly sixteen, Dawn was already just as tall as Faith. Before she started her workout with the slayer, she was lucky to push a buck ten soaking wet. Now, Dawn tipped the scales at just over a hundred and twenty-five pounds.

Her body had a nice, toned look and she turned heads wherever she went. The girl was very proud of how she looked and started dressing to accentuate it. She didn’t dress like a slut or anything like that, but Faith was starting to see a marked difference in the girl’s attire. Strangely, she began wearing a lot of the same things her sister had worn. Buffy was always a fan of the tight pants and miniskirts.

And Dawn definitely had the body for it. Faith, Willow, and Tara did have to come down a little hard on a couple of outfits that the girl had wanted to wear out of the house. Faith explained calmly that if  _she_  thought it was trashy, given some of the shit she’s worn, then it wasn’t leaving the house. Dawn relented and donned something a bit more modest.

All three women understood that Dawn was at the age where she was testing her boundaries. They would excuse a lot, but sometimes they had to be the adults and just flat out tell her no. Dawn was a good sport about it all and didn’t offer that much of a fuss. She understood how truly good she had it and didn’t really want to make a stink.

After they finished up with a successful sparring session, they made their way home wishing everyone a good night.

Faith pulled her car into the garage and headed inside with Dawn on her heels. Tara stood at the counter chopping vegetables for a salad. Willow sat talking to her with a soda in her hand. “I’m gonna go and grab a shower and get my homework done,” Dawn said, moving through the kitchen.

“I’ll yell at you when dinner’s done.” Faith said as the girl disappeared up the stairs. “So how are my two favorite ladies?” She asked, kissing Willow before moving to Tara. She then moved to the sink and washed her hands before grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge.

“Pretty good,” Willow said. “Better now that our sexy slayer girlfriend is home.”

Tara blushed and nodded. “Today at school was really boring. I thought about you two all day.”

“Well, here we are to make the school day blues disappear.” Faith said as she pulled a large bowl down from the cupboard. She reached into the fridge to grab what she’d need for her meatloaf to see everything cut up and ready. “You chopped everything, T-bear?”

The blonde shook her head. “Nope. Willow did. She got off school early today and did all the shopping and did the prep work.”

Willow beamed happily. “I may not be able to cook, but I got me some good knife skills.”

Faith again moved in for a kiss. “Thanks, Red.” She went about mixing the meat with the green pepper, onion, saltine crackers and eggs. Lastly, she added the drained pineapple and the thick teriyaki marinade. She added a second sleeve of crackers and worked her magic. “You wanna turn the hot water on for me, T-bear?”

Tara immediately stepped over and did as she was asked. She took the dish soap and dropped a bit onto Faith’s hands so the girl could wash up.

Once the meatloaf was split between two pans and put into the oven, Faith washed her hands a second time and dried them. “Oh, I got good news today.” She sat down beside Willow. “I’m being put on the construction crew full time.”

“What’s that mean?” Willow asked.

“Two bucks an hour more.” Faith said. “Right now I’m listed as a temp. Because of all the work I been doin’ for ‘em, I’m saving them time and money. Tony talked to the boss man and asked if I wanted to be a part of the team. I signed the paperwork today. I gotta go take some tests on Monday for some of the certifications, but other than that…”

“That’s wonderful, sweetie,” Tara said, happily. “Congratulations.”

“Do you get to keep your schedule?” Willow asked her.

“From what he said. There might be times when I gotta head in a little earlier and stay a little later, but he’ll try to keep it to a minimum.” Faith bit her lip. “So, little D’s birthday is coming up.”

“She’s gonna be sixteen,” Tara said. “We should do something special for her.” Willow nodded her agreement.

“I was thinking…” Faith began. She’d thought a lot about it and thought the girl deserved it. She’d yet to talk it through with the pair. “Maybe we should get little D her own set of wheels.”

“What good would a set of wheels do?” Willow said. “She doesn’t own a…” She stopped a moment. “Oh, I get it.” She gave an apologetic smile. “Took a second.”

Tara giggled and kissed her. “It’s okay, love.”

Faith chuckled. “I was thinking of getting her a car.”

Tara for her part simply shrugged. “I don’t see why not. I mean, we don’t wanna get her something like what you drive.”

“Hell no. My Roadrunner would chew her up and spit her out.” Faith said. “I was actually thinking something a bit old school, but that would actually be a good, stout daily driver.”

“Did you have anything particular in mind?” Willow asked.

“Actually, I did. It’s a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle Baja edition. I saw it on a car lot down by the construction site. Guy was asking six grand for it. I’ve stopped by the check it out. It’s got a good solid motor from a Porsche 944 Turbo S. Lays down about two hundred and fifty horses, give or take. It’ll get up and move, but it’s not ridiculously overpowered. It’s a dark navy blue and looks pretty good. Body’s straight, suspensions good. It sounded good when he fired it up for me. It’s worth what’s he’s askin’ for it, but I can probably talk him down a grand.”

Willow looked at Tara a moment. “I don’t see why not. It’s not like she hasn’t earned it. She’s keeping her grades up, she does her chores and she’s made great progress working out with Faith.”

“Not only that, but she took three tests today and got two A’s and a B. The B was on her math test.” Faith added. “Math has been beating her down all year. And come on. She saved Janice’s life from a vampire.”

Tara nodded. “Okay. You obviously know a lot more about cars than we do, so you can go and pick it up for her. We’ll have it be from all of us.”

Faith smiled. “Sounds like the kid gets a sweet sixteen.” She pulled her girls in and kissed them again. “And with that, I’m gonna go and take a shower before dinner.” She trotted up the stairs and dropped her gym bag off before grabbing a pair of shorts and a tank top. She took a quick shower and dried herself before moving down the hall to Dawn’s room. She knocked lightly on the door.

“It’s open,” Dawn said from her bed.

Faith came in and moved over, flopping down on her bed. Books were scattered about the teen. “Need any help on anything?”

“Nah. It’s mostly just worksheets and that crap.” She shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

Faith nodded. “Good. So your birthday is coming up. Anything you wanted?”

“My own car,” Dawn said, smiling. “But that’ll never happen.”

“Glad you figured that out.” Faith said. “Anything other than that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a newer TV?” She said, pointing to the 19-inch television. “That one’s like, almost ten years old.”

Faith gave her a nod. “I think we might be able to do something about that.” She looked to the girl. “Dinner should be ready in about forty-five.” She got up from the bed and moved to the door. “And D?” The girl looked up at her. “I’m proud as hell of you.”

Dawn smiled brightly. “Thank you.” As Faith left the room, she went back to her homework, feeling better than she had in a long time.

Faith made it down the steps as Buffybot came into the house. “I got promoted.” The blonde said, happily. “I’m Assistant Manager.”

Faith smiled and pulled the robot in for a hug. “Nice work, B.” She said. “Congrats.”

“You’re proud of me?” She asked.

“Hell yeah, I’m proud of you.” The slayer said. “That’s awesome work.”

“Manny says that I’m the best employee they’ve had in almost ten years, probably ever.” Buffybot was incredibly excited. “I couldn’t wait to get home and tell you.”

“Does your man know yet?” Faith asked, moving back into the kitchen.

“Not yet. I haven’t had a chance to tell him. I wanted you all to be the first people to get the news.” She looked at Willow and Tara, both of whom were smiling at her. She hugged each of them. “I’m so happy.”

“We’re happy for you,” Tara said, warmly. “You haven’t really been working that long there.”

“The corporate office told Manny to forgo my probationary period and to make me Assistant Manager. I signed the paperwork today.”

“We’re proud of you,” Willow said, smiling.

The robot giggled and trotted up the stairs to take a shower and change.

“Seems good news is coming in droves today,” Tara said happily. “I like days like this.”

“Yeah, so do I.” Faith said, checking the meat. “They don’t come around often enough, so you gotta enjoy ‘em when they do.” She looked at Willow and Tara. “Dawn thinks she’s going to be getting a new TV for her birthday.”

“Given how old her old one is, we should be thinking about doing that anyway.” Tara offered. The three of them abandoned the conversation as dinner finished up. They set the table, calling Dawn and Buffybot down.

The five of them sat about the table, making small talk and enjoying each other’s company. Buffybot didn’t eat anything, but she was a part of the family, and the remaining four girls made sure she knew it. And she couldn’t be happier.

 


	32. Chapter 32

 

Amy leaned against the tree across from the Summers house. She reached up to her ear and hit the small button. “Alright, I’m here. Can you hear me?”

“We read you loud and clear, Zatanna.” Warren offered, calling Amy by the agreed upon code name, in case anyone was listening in.

Amy just rolled her eyes. “Nerds.” She said, sadly. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was doing all of this. She honestly couldn’t stand the three of them. Warren was a bossy britches, Andrew was a bit of a wuss and Jonathan thought he was a lot more powerful than he was. All in all the three of them were incredibly annoying.

But she, begrudgingly, had to give credit where credit was due. The information they’d gathered on Faith was pretty incredible. Warren took the video that he’d gotten of her fighting the pair of demons Andrew had summoned and ran it through the computer program he’d created and extrapolated all of her strengths and weaknesses. Amy pointed out to the three of them that Faith wasn’t alone. Tara was a bit of an unknown to the girl, but Willow was incredibly powerful. The redhead had talents that even she herself didn’t know of yet.

“We’ve got Faith and Tara at a car lot talking to a salesman. Now’s the time.” Warren said. “Go ahead and talk to her.”

Amy sighed and walked toward the house. She was still furious over being cast by the wayside by the group. She’d made a mistake. It was as simple as that. None of them had known what she’d gone through. Faith claimed that she got it, but in the end, the slayer was ready to beat the shit out of her. From all the things she’d heard about the brunette, she realized that she was still the violent psycho everyone painted her out to be. She always thought with her fists.

When Warren had come up with the plan of trying to get Willow alone and get inside the house, Amy was, at first, skeptical. She didn’t think it would work. Willow was every bit the tech savvy nerd he was. Of course, he’d made the claim that he was building life-like robots when Willow was still blindly typing away at her ancient laptop.

Amy, playing devil’s advocate, pointed out to him that Willow was the one reprogramming and maintaining that life-like robot. Warren didn’t have a hell of a lot to say to that. She stopped at the front door and paused a moment to catch her breath. From what Warren had said, Willow  _should_  be alone. Dawn was out at the mall with her friends. Faith and Tara were both downtown and the bot was at work at the Doublemeat Palace.

She nodded and rapped on the door, waiting patiently. Willow answered it a moment later. She looked into Amy’s eyes and gave her a weak smile. “Hey, Amy.” The girl said, softly.

“I…I thought I’d stop by. I was hoping we could talk alone.” Amy returned, her tone apologetic.

Willow stepped aside, letting the girl in. “How are you?” She asked, politely.

“I’m okay,” Amy said. “Spending a lot of time with my dad. He’s still trying to overcompensate for leaving me with mom.” She walked around the living room, seeming to pace. She walked over and leaned on the mantle, inspecting a picture. “She was pretty,” Amy said, regarding Joyce.

Willow nodded, sitting on the sofa. “What did you wanna talk about?”

Amy sighed and went over, setting her bag down next to the couch. “I just wanted to apologize.”

“You should do that with everyone here.” Willow offered.

“Yeah, I know, but…I figured if I could start with you, it would make it a little easier. And maybe when you saw how sincere I was, you might try to smooth the way with the others.”

Willow looked into her eyes. “We all understand why you felt you had to do what you did. At least, we think we do. It was just…it was wrong, Amy. It hurt Tara most of all because she had Glory rip her mind apart just a few months ago. That still bothers her. She still has nightmares of what it was like inside Glory. On the heels of that, what you did was terrible.”

Amy lowered her head and nodded. “I know. God help me, I know. It wasn’t my intention. Ever since being de-ratified, I’ve been doing magic. It’s just such a rush.” She gave the girl a smile. “I don’t have to tell you that.”

“I don’t use a lot of magic unless I have to,” Willow said sternly.

“I don’t understand why, though,” Amy said. “I mean, I get not wanting anyone to get hurt. I try not to. But when we went out on the town, we had fun, didn’t we?”

“Well yeah, but…”

“But…what? No one got hurt, nothing irreparable happened. It wasn’t any different than going out to a movie.”

“Yeah, it is,” Willow said, rising to her feet. “It’s a lot different. Tara and Faith laid it out. And before you say it, no, it wasn’t just them bitching, Amy. What they said makes sense. Doing a spell to get the dishes done before dinner or to find something that I need right away is one thing. But what we did? Yeah, it was fun. But we messed with people’s lives, Amy. We did things we had no right doing. That isn’t what magic is for.”

It was this philosophy that Amy truly hated. To her, having magic and not using it was tantamount to owning a gun and never taking it to the range to get better with it. It didn’t make sense. She learned magic to have power, to do what she wanted and not to be dictated to. She had to work her ass off to learn what she knew. And then here comes Willow. She dabbled for three years and all of a sudden, she’s a walking Weapon of Mass Destruction. She had access to power that Amy could only dream of. It galled her to no end. She would kill to have that kind of magic. Now here was the most powerful practitioner she’d ever seen telling her that she wasn’t using magic because it made her girlfriends feel bad. It was that mentality that prompted Amy to cast the spell she had. She wanted her friend,  _her_  friend back.

And getting what she wanted was at the very heart of the reason she learned sorcery in the first place. If she’d had her way, Willow and she would be as tight as they were in high school, possibly closer. With Tara and Faith around, she knew Willow would never go for it.

Outwardly, however… “You’re right.” She said, sadly. “It’s just I’ve been without it for so long I just get carried away.”

“That’s okay,” Willow said. “It happens. I know you didn’t mean for everything to go wrong like it did. I’m willing to accept your apology, Amy. You have a lot of time to make up for. If you want, I’ll talk to Faith and Tara. Let them know you came by and that you’re really sorry and would like to try and patch things up.”

The girl smiled. “I’d like that.” She leaned forward and hugged Willow. “I’ve still got a couple things in the bathroom down here that I left. Is it okay if I…?”

Willow nodded. “Sure.” She said, rising and motioning. “You remember where it is.”

“Thanks, Willow,” Amy said, hugging her again. She lifted her bag and made her way down the small hallway. As she disappeared from sight, she stopped and pulled another small camera and mic from her bag, pulled the plastic off the double sided adhesive on the bottom of the camera and stuck it near the light just inside the hallway. She then went into the bathroom and waited for a moment to cover up her activities. She then moved out and shrugged. “I thought I left my brush here. It’s the one my mom got me from New York.”

“Oh, I know the one. I haven’t seen it. Maybe you took it home.” Willow said. “We’ll keep looking around the house.”

“Thanks,” Amy said, moving to the door.

“I’ll talk to Faith and Tara tonight. See if I can get them to have a sit down with all of us, okay?”

“No hurry,” Amy said. “I mean, do it at your own pace. I don’t wanna rush it if they’re really mad.”

Willow smiled. “Tara is a pretty good forgive and forget kind of person. Faith is the one you gotta convince.”

“I’d think being someone who’s made the kind of mistakes she has, she can’t throw stones,” Amy said, a hint of bitterness in her voice. “I mean, what I did didn’t end up with me murdering a guy.”

Willow couldn’t fault the girl’s anger. She held onto her grudge against Faith for quite some time. “That’s true. And Faith just needs to be reminded of that from time to time. She’s trying really hard, but there’s still a ways to go. She’s just really protective of Dawn, Tara and me. I’ll try and bring her around.”

“Okay,” Amy said. “Thanks again, and I am really sorry. It was a terrible thing to do and I shouldn’t have done it.”

“I forgive you, Amy,” Willow said, hugging the girl again. “Have a good day. I’ll call you okay?”

“Okay.” She said, leaving the house. She walked down the stairs and headed off down the street. She moved toward the large van and climbed into the back.

Warren sat at the monitors, banging his head on the console. Jonathan and Andrew were trying really hard not to laugh.

“What’s wrong?” Amy asked, looking around. She moved to Warren. “You got the angles?” She looked at the screens and saw static.

He lifted his head and looked at her. “You know what would have  _really_  helped?” She shrugged and shook her head. “If you would have remembered to TURN THE CAMERAS ON!” He shouted. He motioned to the screen. “This is the exciting feedback we’re getting.”

Amy smacked him in the back of the head. “Screw you, you little geek! I’ve been a damn rat for the past two and half years. Cut me some damn slack.”

Andrew rose to his feet and cracked his knuckles. “Dr. Fate to the rescue.”

“Oh, please. You are so not Dr. Fate.” Jonathan said. “If anyone is Dr. Fate, it’s me.”

“No way!” Andrew snarked. “At best you’re like…Willoughby Kipling.”

“Oh, screw you,” Jonathan said, pushing him. “Dr. Fate didn’t summon demons, you ignoramus.”

“You’re the ignoramus!” Andrew shot back, engaging in a shoving match with the smaller boy.

Amy sighed and gestured with her hand, causing the boys to fly apart from each other, slamming into the opposite walls of the van. “Neither of you are Dr. Fate. Whoever the hell that is.”

Warren nodded. “Exactly.” He said. “Andrew, with your demons summoning skills what they are, you’re lucky if you’re Jakeem Thunder and Jonathan?” Warren sighed. “Gotta side with Andrew on this one. You’re magic is pretty limited.”

“But Willoughby Kipling? I mean, come on. I’m better than that. I’m not that much of a wuss.”

“Say that to the spider beside you,” Amy said. Jonathan screamed and jumped on top of Andrew. “Not a wuss, huh?” She said as Warren and Andrew both snickered.

“Shut up. Arachnophobia is a real condition.” He said, getting up and sitting on in the bean bag chair near the back of the van.

“What was your plan, Andrew?” Warren asked.

“Well, I was thinking that I could summon something innocuous to chase Amy back to the Summers house. She can run in and ask Willow for help. I know Willow has the power to handle something simple. Like one of the demons that I summoned at the construction site. Once Amy gets back in the house, she can activate the cameras while Willow deals with the demon.”

Amy had to give the kid credit. It wasn’t a bad plan. “Sounds doable to me.”

Warren nodded. “Alright. Let’s do it.” He opened the side of the van to let Amy out. “Try to make it convincing.”

Amy waited while Andrew pulled up his flute and played a little tune. A few paces away, a green skinned demon with floppy tendrils for hair, beady red eyes and a strange maw appeared dressed in what looked like burlap. It snarled and looked about. “Chase her!” Andrew commanded. The demon looked at Amy and immediately ran at her.

“Shit.” She said, turning and running as fast as she could. She could see the demon easily keeping up with her. She didn’t realize something that big could run so damn fast. She rounded the corner and sprinted up to the front of the house. She hammered on the door. “Willow! Let me in!” She shouted, terror in her voice. She had to admit it wasn’t all an act. She turned the see the demon coming around the hedge. “Come on! There’s a monster after me!”

The door flew open…to reveal Dawn. “What’s going oh, shit.” The teen said, dragging Amy inside. She slammed the door and put her back to it. “What the hell is that thing?” Dawn asked her.

“I don’t know,” Amy said, moving to the mantle to rest a moment. “I was walking home a block from here with it came storming out of nowhere. I ran for it. Where’s Willow?”

The beast began pounding on the door, snarling. “She’s at the store,” Dawn said, trying to keep the door shut. “Inside this broom closet is a baseball bat. I need it.” Amy gestured. The door opened and the bat floated out to the teen’s hand. “Thanks. Go somewhere safe. I’ll get you when I’ve dealt with this thing.”

Amy nodded and ran down the hallway.

Dawn dove into a shoulder roll and came to her feet with the bat at the ready. The door flew open and the beast roared, lunging at her. She stepped aside and hammered it in the abdomen with all her strength. The bat sunk into his flesh, causing him to stagger to the side. He loosed a backhand that caught her across the face, spinning her to the ground. Dawn accepted the hit and rolled with it, coming back to her feet. Her face felt like it was on fire, but she gritted her teeth and spun the baseball bat in her hand.

The demon came at her, growling. Amy quickly waved her hand. The curtain on the front window lifted into the air and fell over the monster, wrapping tightly around him, hindering his movements. Dawn took the opportunity and cracked it across the knee with the bat. His leg buckled and he dropped to his knees. She then smacked him across the face twice, sending him to the floor. She stood over him and wailed on him again and again until he finally disappeared to become nothing but a stain on the floor.

Dawn stood breathing heavily with the bat in her hands. She had blood dripping from her mouth and her right eye was starting to swell shut. She looked at Amy. “You alright?” She asked.

“That was…that was incredible.” She said, moving up to the teen. “You saved my life.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dawn said, moving to sit down.

At that moment, Willow walked in from the kitchen. She saw Dawn with a bruise on her face and a busted lip. “What happened?”

“There was a demon that came after Amy,” Dawn said. “I think it was the same kind that Faith dealt with at the construction site couple months ago.” She looked at Amy. “I think someone is after you to get to us.”

Willow looked at Amy. “You okay?”

“Yeah. I was walking home and cut through an alley and there it was all gross and growling. I was closer to here than I was to home.”

“Was there a van anywhere near the alley? Older model?” Willow asked.

“I couldn’t tell. I was busy running.” Amy offered. “I came here and Dawn protected me. She beat the snot out of it with a baseball bat.”

“Don’t let her fool you. She helped. She tore the curtain down and wrapped the demon up with it so I could take him out.”

“I’m gonna get home before my dad starts to worry.” She knelt and hugged Dawn. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Be careful,” Dawn said. “I’ve only got so much fight in me in one day.” She gave the girl a smile.

“I will. See you later.” Amy said, leaving the house. She trotted back to the van. She opened the side door and moved inside. She saw the two cameras up and running. “Okay.” She said, looking at Warren. “I’m laying down some ground rules right now. Willow and Dawn are off limits.”

He furrowed his brow. “What? Why? I thought you were pissed at all of them.”

“I was,” Amy said, sitting down. “But Willow really does wanna patch things up. I’ve been friends with her for a long time. And to be honest, she’s already done a lot for me. And Dawn just saved my life.” She reached over and smacked Andrew upside the head.

“Ow.” He said, rubbing his scalp. “What was that for?”

“That thing was trying to kill me, you idiot. I wanted it convincing, not homicidal. I’m just lucky Dawn isn’t a big a pussy as the two of you.” She snapped.

Warren chuckled. “True.” He said. “But the plan is to make them all miserable.”

“Faith and Tara, I don’t care. But Willow and Dawn are off the menu.”

“I don’t remember putting you in charge of this outfit.” Warren snapped. “I’m running this show.”

She leaned forward and stared him in the eye. “You only run this show because I let you, techno-dweeb. With the power at my disposal, I could have you spending the rest of your life in a padded cell screaming at things only you can see.” She shook her head. “Don’t fuck with me, Junior. I’m the only real power you got.” She turned and left the van. “Let me know when you need something serious done.” She slammed the door and walked away.

Warren sat there a moment and fumed. “The only real power we got, huh?” He said, shaking his head. “No one tells us that.”

“Well, she does know a lot of magic,” Andrew said. “I mean, she could do stuff. Real things that we can only dream of.”

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side,” Warren said, smiling. “I think it’s time we show her that we  _do_  know a thing or two that she’s never dreamed of.” He began sifting through the stuff in the back of the van.

“What are you looking for?” Jonathan asked.

“My thumb drives. I had like, a whole box of them. They were right here.” He said, tossing things about. “Where the hell are they?”

“Well, we did clean everything out. Maybe they’re back at the lair.” Andrew said. “I saw some that I put in a box and took inside.”

Warren looked at him. “I needed those in  _here_.”

“What about the one that’s plugged into the front of the computer, there?” Jonathan asked. “Is that it?”

Warren turned and smiled. “Yes. Yes, it is.” He moved to the console and opened it. “Now for a little fun.”

“What are you doing?” Andrew asked as he moved up to lean over his shoulder. “What is that?”

“When I first built April, I didn’t take the precaution of adding an override to shut her down. When Spike asked me to build him a Buffy clone, I did a lot of work to make her as strong, fast and durable as I could. I also corrected the oversight.”

“So, what? To punish them, you’re gonna deactivate the Buffybot?” Jonathan asked. “That’s kind of lame.”

“I can’t deactivate her. Willow’s no slouch. She managed to remove that functionality, but I don’t think she dug as deep in the program as she thinks she did.” He typed away, remote accessing the bot’s subroutines. He grinned widely as he carried out the commands. “I’ve only got basic access, but it should be enough.” He laughed maniacally. “No one tells the trio how to be villains. We own this town.” He typed in the final command.

“Wait,” Jonathan said. “What is she gonna do?”

Warren looked at him. “We’re supervillains, Jonathan. Don’t go getting squeamish on me, now.”

“I’m not squeamish. I just…I don’t wanna kill anyone.” The boy said. “Willow was always pretty cool to us and Dawn is just a little girl. And I thought we were just trying to defeat the slayer. Not kill her friends.”

“All’s fair in love and war, my little friend. You take away the slayer’s friends and you take away her support.” He turned back to the console. “It’s the way the game is played.”

Jonathan bit his lip and looked to Andrew, who simply shrugged. “This isn’t gonna end well.” The tiny mage said, sadly.

“Oh, buck up,” Warren said. “I’ll stop her before she kills anyone, okay?”

“Okay,” Jonathan said, reluctantly. If he had his way, this would never even be contemplated. It just didn’t seem right to him. Buffybot was nearly as strong and fast as Faith. And he’d seen firsthand what the slayer could do. He’d been on the receiving end of it. Buffybot would blindly do what Warren told her to, thanks to the hack in her programming. She was a dangerous weapon with no safety save for Warren’s nonexistent conscience. He found himself saying a prayer for the two girls in the house. Their day was about to get a whole lot worse.

 

Buffybot suddenly lifted her head and moved away from the table in the breakroom. She walked into Manny’s office. “I’m sorry. I must go home.”

The manager was shocked, to say the least. “Um…why?” He asked.

She’d learned enough to know that she had to cover her true nature up behind believable white lies. “There is an emergency with my sister and I must go home. I am sorry.”

He sighed and nodded. “Family emergency comes first. I hope she’s alright. Can you come in for a few hours tomorrow? Say, four in the afternoon till closing?”

“I can do that,” Buffybot said. “I will see you tomorrow.” She said, turning to leave. She walked out of the restaurant and made her way home. She didn’t understand what was happening to her. Part of her programming was being overwritten and she didn’t know how or by whom.

She did, however, understand one thing. With what she was being commanded to do, she would more than likely never see Daniel again.

That thought made her incredibly sad.

 


	33. Chapter 33

Buffybot walked determinedly toward the house. Her brows were furrowed and her fists were clenched. She did not want to do this. As she walked, she desperately tried to access her basic programming to isolate the corrupted portion of her system drive.

But whoever,  _what_ ever was overriding her internals was very thorough. She was aware of her actions…she just couldn’t control them. And strangely, she found that she could no longer speak. She would simply act. She wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what was happening to her. She now prayed for one simple thing.

She prayed that Faith or Spike would find her and destroy her before she hurt someone she loved. But as she rounded the corner and saw 1630 Revello Drive, she knew that her prayers would go unanswered. She ascended the front stairs and threw the door open.

Dawn sat on the sofa, watching television. She looked up and smiled. “Hey, Buffy.” She said. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”

The robot didn’t -  _couldn’t -_ say a word. She simply moved over and gripped the teen’s shirt and hauled her to her feet, throwing her across the living room. Dawn hit the wall hard, smashing the plaster and the sheetrock beyond. She slid bonelessly down to the floor, dazed.

Willow ran into the living room at the sound of the ruckus. She saw Buffybot, her face twisted in a mask of rage, stalking in toward Dawn. “Buffy? What are you doing?”

The blonde didn’t answer. She gripped the edge of the coffee table and hurled it at the red haired witch.

Willow put her hands up and cast a quick spell. The table stopped and was cast aside. She then pulled her hands to her chest and threw them forward, sending a powerful wall of energy at the robotic slayer. The wave impacted and hurled the bot through the front window out onto the lawn. Willow staggered and leaned on the wall. She looked and saw the robot rise to her feet. She cursed and looked down to see Dawn fading in and out of consciousness. “Come on, Dawnie. On your feet.” She said, kneeling to lift the girl. “Goddess. You weigh a ton.”

The brunette shook her head and got up, bracing herself against the wall. “What’s going on?” She turned to see Buffybot walking back toward them. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know,” Willow said. “But we need to get to the basement.”

Buffybot leapt in through the window and again went at them. Willow readied a spell, but Dawn acted. She ran and jumped, planting both feet into the android’s chest. Dawn hit the floor hard, but the bot was thrown back to tumble over the sofa. Dawn brought her knees to her chest, and kicked, coming back to her feet. “Always wanted to try that.” She said, before taking Willow’s hand. “Let’s go.” The teen said, dragging her toward the basement. Willow entered first. Dawn was right behind her, slamming the door.

“Here!” Willow said, tossing an old two by four up to the teen.

Dawn took it and jammed it underneath the door knob. “That isn’t gonna stop her for long.” She said, running down the stairs. “The door to the outside is padlocked. I don’t know where the keys are.”

“On the keychain, that Faith is carrying,” Willow said. “Help me move this stuff out of the way.”

Dawn saw a large yellow industrial locker buried behind the stuff from the garage. “What’s in here?” She asked, moving the boxes aside.

“An old friend,” Willow said. They could hear the robot pushing at the door. “I’ve been working on it off and on for the past few years.”

“Some sort of robot suit or something?” Dawn asked her.

Willow kicked the last box out of the way and pulled the locker open. “Nope.” She said, smiling.

Dawn recognized him. He had dated her mother at one point…and tried to kill her sister. She backed away from him. “What the hell is he doing here?”

Willow reached behind his ear and depressed a small indentation. “Hopefully saving our butts.” She stepped back and let out a breath. “I hope this works.”

The large man looked at her and smiled. “Why, hello Willow.”

“Hey, Ted.” She said back. The sound of the door to the upstairs bursting open took their attention.

“Oh, my.” He said, stepping out of the locker. Buffybot thundered down the stairs and stopped when she saw the man. “Buffy seems very non-plussed.”

“That’s not Buffy,” Dawn said, stepping behind him. “She’s a robot that somebody is controlling to kill us.”

Ted frowned. “Oh, that won’t do at all.” He stepped forward. “I can’t let you hurt these girls.” He said. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

Buffybot stalked toward him, not saying a word. She spun on her heel, catching the larger robot across the face with a reverse spin kick. Ted staggered back but kept his feet. “That wasn’t very nice.” He said, grabbing the smaller girl’s lapels and lifting her from the ground. He turned and hurled her against the wall, flowering the stones. “You should learn some manners, missy.”

Buffybot rose to her feet and ran, jump-kicking him in the chest. The blow threw him back against the stairs, smashing them to splinters. He fell to the floor, buried under a mountain of wood.

As soon as the robots had gone at each other, Willow and Dawn were on the move. They made their way to the basement door that led outside. Willow brought a spell to mind and ran her hand over the door. The padlock clicked as it unlocked. She turned to Dawn, happily. “It’s open.” She then pushed and was met with a door still barred. “What…?”

“The padlock’s still on the hasp,” Dawn said, drawing back and shoulder ramming the door. It didn’t give. She tried again but started screaming as she was dragged down the flight of stairs as Buffybot took hold of her ankle. “Willow! Help!”

The redhead thought about what spell to use. She waved her hands and quickly solidified the air around the blonde robot. Buffybot stood motionless, her iron grip on Dawn’s leg. The teen tried futilely to pry the android’s hand off. “Let go of me!” She screamed, kicking the robot’s hand without effect.

Ted chose that moment to rise to his feet, throwing the wood aside. He ran over and slowly managed to pry her fingers loose. Dawn scampered away. Her ankle hurt from where the bot had crushed it. The big man took hold of her hair and slamming her face into the wall repeatedly.

Willow held the spell as long as she could, but in her emotionally compromised state, she couldn’t do so for long. Buffybot’s face was a mess. Metal was showing where her synthetic flesh was being torn to shreds by the repeated impacts with the stone. As soon as Willow’s spell failed, the bot planted her hand on the wall to stop the larger robot’s assault. She used her other hand and gripped his wrist, tearing his hand free, and removing a good chunk of her hair in the process. She threw him backward into a support beam and into a pile of boxes.

He quickly got to his feet. “That’s no way to treat your elders, young lady.” He said, angrily.

The pair met in the middle of the basement, slugging it out. Willow and Dawn could see immediately that Buffybot was both faster, and stronger. Given that Ted had been built almost sixty years ago, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. But the pair had to give his creator credit. The big robot was giving just as good as he got.

Buffybot swept his legs from under him, tossing him into the air. As he was airborne, she spun on her heel and again drove her boot into his chest, sending him back against the wall with enough force to literally tear his arm off. He was back up a moment later. He noticed his arm and turned to regard the blonde robot. “That was not very nice.” He reached down and lifted the appendage.

She ran at him again, looking to jump-punch him in the face. Ted stepped aside and used his dislodged arm like a club, smashing the blonde robot with a massive upswing that threw her through the living room floor and out through the front window to the lawn beyond.

He kept his grip on his weapon and moved over to the outer exit. “Allow me, ladies.” He said, smiling. He threw his shoulder into the wood, shoving it open with ease. He then stepped out onto the grass.

Dawn and Willow had to jump out of the way as Buffybot tackled him back through the doorway to the floor beyond.

Buffybot straddled his chest as he lay on his back. She drew back and hammered his face and chest over and over. He tried to throw her off. She lifted her leg and pinned his arm to the concrete with her boot. She continued to beat him into the floor. She said nothing, she showed no emotion as she hammered him again and again.

Willow desperately wanted to help him, but never got the chance as Dawn grabbed her and dragged her from the basement. The pair made the yard and spared one look back…to see Buffybot tear his head free and hurl it across the room. “We gotta get out of here,” Dawn said, heading for the street.

As soon as they got to the sidewalk, they could hear the sounds of running behind them. Buffybot was in motion and coming fast. “Dammit,” Dawn said, running for everything she was worth. Willow was right behind, trying her best to keep up with the younger girl. Even limping as she was, Dawn was hauling serious ass. The redhead was having a hell of a time keeping up.

As they rounded the corner, Faith and Tara came down the street in the slayer’s Roadrunner. The pair screeched to a stop when Dawn ran out into the street in front of the car. Faith and Tara both stepped out as Buffybot ran a few paces behind them, her eyes set on the pair.

“She’s trying to kill us!” Willow shouted.

“T-bear?” Faith said, stepping in front of her girlfriend and her adopted sister.

Tara was already in the midst of a spell. Buffybot froze in midstride.

Faith ran over and quickly reached behind the robot’s neck, powering her down.

Dawn stared at Faith a moment, then turned and looked at Willow. “We are  _dumb_.” She said. “Seriously, why didn’t we think of that?”

“Panic and terror,” Willow said, breathing heavily. “I don’t think well when I have homicidal robots after me.”

“How many have you had?” Dawn asked her.

“First one. But I’ve learned it’s a thing.” Willow countered.

“Nuh-uh,” Tara said. “Remember the d-demon robot you dealt with in your sophomore year?”

“Right. Forgot about him.” Willow said. “Yeah, I was in panic and terror then, too.”

Faith stepped over to the pair. “You two alright?” She asked, looking Dawn over. The girl was limping and had a nasty bruise on her forehead.

“I’m okay.” The teen said. “It’s nothin’ a pizza and some Pepsi won’t fix.” She smiled at Faith to let her know that she really was okay.

“So what was that all about?” Tara asked. Faith popped the trunk and lifted Buffybot, carrying her over and depositing her inside.

“We don’t know,” Dawn said. “She just came home and picked me up, chucking me across the living room. By the way, the house is a disaster.” She said, looking at Faith.

The slayer sighed. “Alright. We’ll pack a few bags and stay at a hotel for the night. I’ll talk to Tony and see if he’d be willing to spare a few of the boys. Given that the project is ahead of schedule, he might go for it.”

“Tell them you and your girlfriends will cook and serve beer in bikinis,” Dawn said. “That’ll get ‘em interested.”

Faith looked at her with a grin. Willow and Tara looked at her in abject terror. “I like the way you think, little D.” Faith offered.

“We don’t,” Willow added.

 

Warren slammed his hand down on the console in the van. “Dammit.” He said, angrily. “I really thought that would work, too.” He and the boys had watched the entire fight on the cameras they’d installed. They couldn’t see the fight in the basement, but when it had momentarily moved outside, they followed it on the traffic cameras. Now he stared at the feeds. They were nothing but static. “I didn’t expect Faith to do that.”

“We already know that Faith is really smart and resourceful,” Andrew said.

“It’s actually Willow that surprised me,” Jonathan said. “I mean, who knew that she’d managed to put together her own robot?” He looked at Warren to see the boy glaring at him. “I mean, it wasn’t as good as yours…” He stammered.

“But that was so cool,” Andrew said. “I mean, android on android carnage. It was like watching Metallo fight with the Vision.”

“Please,” Warren said. “Those two fighting would be way more awesome than that.”

“And do a lot more damage,” Jonathan said. “Still, they completely wrecked the house. I’d call that a win.”

“Not really. Aside from the fact that we just got the cameras in there, Willow’s gonna be able to find the subroutine and clear my access out. She’s that good of a hacker.” He grinned. “But you are partially right. It definitely gave them something to think about.”

“She’s gonna know it was you,” Jonathan said. “And she’s gonna tell Faith.”

Warren nodded. “You’re right. Won’t take much to figure out where we are.” He looked at his friends. “We need to move to the backup lair.” He got up and climbed into the front of the van.

“My aunt might not like it,” Andrew said.

“We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it,” Warren said, pulling away from the curb.

Jonathan and Andrew shared a look that neither was fond of.

 

“Isn’t this the motel you stayed at when you first got into Sunnydale?” Willow asked, looking up that old, run down building.

Faith nodded as she pulled the Jeep to a stop. “Yeah. It may not look like much, but it’s got hot water and the beds aren’t actually that bad. And despite how it may look, the dude keeps it pretty clean. That and it’s cheap as hell. It’s only for a few days.”

“Why can’t we stay with Xander or Giles?” Dawn asked as she climbed out with her duffel.

“Because Tweed has Olivia living with him and only has one spare room with a double bed in it. And Xander is living with Anya in my old condo. That thing is like, uber small. It’s perfect for one, maybe two people, but with four extra guests, it’s not gonna work out.”

“We had to all stay at Xander’s basement for like three days,” Willow said. “That really sucked.”

“I can imagine.” Faith said. She made her way into the office. “One room, two beds. Three adults and one kid. Gonna need it for about a week.”

“Thirty dollars a night, plus ten dollars a night for double occupancy.” The man behind the counter said, adding it all up. “Two hundred and forty dollars.”

“Is that for a full seven days?” Faith asked as she pulled her debit card out.

“Yup. Weekly special.”

“Huh. Not a bad deal.” She said, running her card. She took the keycard and receipt. “Can I get a spare key card, just in case?”

The man took one out, dropped it into the reader and handed it to her. “Ten dollar replacement fee.”

“Gotcha.” She said. “Thanks.” She led everyone to the room and pushed the door open. “Here we are, guys. Home sweet home away from home.”

The room was a lot nicer than when she stayed three years ago. The walls were painted a pleasant cream color and had tasteful artwork. The television was a nice thirty-six inch with cable. The beds were both doubles and had linens that were a little dated, perhaps but were still nice. The carpet was newer and was clean. “Wow,” Dawn said, looking around. She ran over and dove onto one of the beds. “This is pretty comfy.”

“Far cry from how it looked last time I was here.” Faith said, setting her bag down. She went into the bathroom and saw it, too had been redone. “Explains why it’s thirty bucks a night now and not eighteen.”

Tara and Willow sat down on the bed. “Any idea what happened to Buffybot?” Tara asked.

Willow nodded. “I’m betting Warren accessed some kind of command protocol that I wasn’t aware of. She’s still got parts of her programming that I haven’t mapped out yet.”

“Can you fix her?” Faith asked.

Willow sighed. “I don’t know.” She rubbed her face with her hands. “I gotta find what’s wrong first. We’re talking advanced level robotic sciences here.”

“You’ve put Buffybot back together plenty of times,” Dawn said.

Faith actually rode to Willow’s rescue. “Just because you know how to change a tire, doesn’t mean you can rebuild the engine, kiddo.” Willow nodded her thanks.

“I got ya,” Dawn said, laying back on the bed. “Wait a minute.” She sat back up. “You rebuilt Ted.”

Faith and Tara both looked at Willow. “Who’s Ted?” They asked in unison.

“He was a robot built back in the fifties. Tubes and wires kinda stuff.” She shook her head. “He wasn’t half as advanced as Buffy is. Working on him as opposed to working on her would be like…” She gestured with her hands, trying to figure it out.

Again Faith went the automotive route. “Replacing the motor in a fifty-seven Chevy as opposed to new model Lamborghini.” She shook her head. “World’s apart, kid.” Again Willow thanked her.

“Why not just grab Warren and make him…” Dawn sighed as everyone looked at her. “Right. Stupid idea.”

“Come on, guys.” Faith said, getting up and pacing the room. “We got a college full of nerds a mile that way.” She said, pointing to the college. “We can just…”

“First off, no!” Willow said, shooting to her feet. “We are not kidnapping a college student to work on our robot…”

Faith stared at her. “Not exactly where I was going with it. I was gonna suggest hiring someone. Not a psycho anymore, remember?”

“Right. Sorry.” Willow said, sitting back down. “The second problem is that Warren went to the school in Dutton. It’s a highly advanced technical college.”

“And we can’t go there to get help because…?” Faith asked.

“Because we need someone we can trust.” She said, smiling. “And I know just the person.”

“You know a robot scientist?” Dawn asked.

“Let’s just say I met someone that would probably revel at the chance to try. And sadly, she’s a lot smarter than me.” Willow offered.

“I’m not sure whether to be amazed or terrified by that.” Faith said.

“Her name is Fred. She’s a friend of Angel’s. When I went down there to tell him that Buffy passed away, he introduced me to her. She’s really smart. Maybe she can help.”

Faith sighed and again continued pacing. “Okay, so here’s the plan. I’m gonna go talk to Spike, tell him what’s going on and ask if he can keep the town under wraps until we get back.” She looked at Dawn. “I want you to keep up with your training. Get together with Xander and Tweed to get it done. You’ve been doin’ really good and been handling beasts on your own…”

“She actually knocked Buffybot down when she was attacking us.” Willow piped in. “It was really brave of her. Not to mention the demon she killed just before that.”

Faith looked at Willow and back to Dawn. “No shit?” As the girl nodded, she smiled. “Not bad, squirt. We might be a few days and if something really hairy goes down, Spike’s gonna need all the help he can get. I’m gonna leave my gear here. It’s body armor and weapons and shit. If you absolutely have to, help him out, but don’t be a fuckin’ hero. Spike’s hardcore. You’re not.” As the girl nodded her agreement, the slayer looked to Tara. “I need you to pull some mojo out of the bag. Can you make yourself look like double B?”

Tara nodded. “I can’t go to work and be her full time, but I can put in an appearance.”

“Good. Drop by her work and let them know that you need to take a few days off. Be creative and make something up. Just make it good. Say you need like, a week. If we haven’t got her fixed by then, we’re shit outta luck. At  _that_  point, I’m draggin’ Warren’s ass over here and make him do it. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

Faith then left to speak with a couple of people. She first stopped by Daniel’s house, letting him know that Buffy was seriously damaged and they were taking her to Los Angeles to get her repaired. He was understandably worried. Faith promised him that everything would be alright. He told her to tell Buffy that he loved her and that his spirits were with her.

She promised she would and left, making her way to a tobacco shop to pick up a couple cartons of smokes as a bribe. She pulled to a stop in front of the old cemetery and wound her way through the headstones toward the large crypt. She knocked on the metal door and slowly pushed it open, stepping inside and closing it quickly behind her. “Spike?” She asked, looking around.

The blonde vampire climbed the ladder from his daytime resting place. “What brings you by, slayer?”

“Warren and his bullshit.” Faith said. “Here. Brought you a little something.” She said, offering the bag.

“Nice choice.” He said, pulling the boxes of cigarettes out. “Marlboros.”

“Knew they were you cancer stick of choice.” She said, moving over to hop on the sarcophagus.

“So what’s the nerd herd gotten up to now?” He asked, pulling a smoke out and lighting it. “Care for one?”

She shook her head. “Nope. Quit when I got out. Appreciate the offer, though. Red thinks Warren hacked double B’s system and turned her on her and Dawn.”

Spike’s face fell. “Are they alright?”

“Dawn got roughed up a little, but nothin’ bad. Just a little banged up. She’s a Summers. You know how tough they are.”

“Her mom buried an axe in my back.” He said. “That kind of thing sticks with you.”

Faith nodded. “We deactivated her, but Red ain’t exactly sure how to fix her. We’re heading down to LA for a few days. She says that Angel’s got a friend that might be able to help.”

“And you want me to keep an eye on things while you’re gone,” Spike said.

“I’d appreciate it. I’ve been training Dawn for the past two months. She’s actually got a vampire and a demon to her credit. Not to mention knocking Buffybot on her ass this afternoon.”

“Not exactly surprised. Like you said. Girl’s a Summers.” Spike said. “I can keep it quiet till you get back.”

“I’ll make it worth your while.” Faith said, pulling her wallet out. “Here.” She said, offering him the cash.

“No, it’s alright, love.” He said, smiling. “You’ve been good to me. This one’s on me.”

“Then here.” Faith said, pulling her keys out and removing one of them. “Take her. She’s yours.”

“What’s this go to?” He asked.

“The Harley.” She shook her head. “I really don’t drive it and it’s just collecting dust. Figure you got enough room in here to park it during the day.”

“You’re seriously giving me your Harley?” He asked her. “You were so stoked about that bike.”

She shrugged. “Like I said, I really don’t drive it and a bike that nice, deserves to be driven. It’s still in the garage. The house took some serious damage. We’re all staying at a motel until the damage can be repaired.”

“Buffy did a number on it, huh?” He asked.

“Apparently Willow was putting some robot named Ted back together. The two of them duked it out from what I gather.”

Spike nodded. “Buffy told me about him. Some tin man put together in the fifties.”

“News to me. But I never really rated much of a history lesson.” Faith said. “Willow and I are gonna be heading south. I’m talking to Xander and some of the boys from the construction site to see if they’re willing to make a quick stop at the house to put it back to rights.”

“He’s a good bloke. He’ll see it done.” Spike said. He didn’t care much for Xander, but he did respect the hell out of him. The boy had been standing shoulder to shoulder with Buffy for years and never backed off. He’d tangled with Xander on multiple occasions and while, yes, he’d always gotten the better of the exchange, he couldn’t deny that the kid was a handful. Powers or not.

“I appreciate you doing this.” Faith said to him. She moved over and grabbed a coffee mug. She set it down and pulled her pocket knife out. “Since that chip won’t let you drink straight from the tap…” She dragged the blade across her forearm. She held the cut over the cup and flexed her hand to stimulate blood flow. “It ain’t much, but it should be nice for a pick-me-up.” She managed to get the mug half full before the cut stopped bleeding. She squeezed her arm to get a bit more and lifted the mug, handing it to him. “Here.” She said, giving him a smile. “Drink up.”

He took the mug and went game face as he slugged it down. “Ah. Gotta say, love. You got the sweetest taste. Like Buffy, except with more…” He looked at her. “You really ought to cut back on the caffeine, slayer. Startin’ to make me hyper.”

Faith wiped her arm off and hugged him. “Thanks for being here for us, Spike.”

He stood a moment then hugged her back. “It’s alright, slayer. You lot have been really good to me.”

“I’ll see you in a few days.” She said. “And thanks again.”

He held the key up and smiled. “No problem, Faith. Good luck. If it doesn’t work and you need to get old robot boy on board, let me know. I may not be able to hurt ‘im but that don’t mean I don’t know a few blokes that wouldn’t be willing to do it for me.”

She nodded. “It may come to that.” Faith said to him before stepping out and closing the door tightly.

She left his crypt and drove to Tony’s house. She knocked lightly, waiting for an answer. The large man opened the door dressed in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. “Hey, Faith. What’s up?” He said, stepping aside to let her in.

“Sorry to bother you at home, but I got a favor to ask.” She said. “I’ve got an emergency that I have to deal with in Los Angeles. Shouldn’t be but a few days. I need a bit of time off.”

He shrugged and nodded. “Well, the tests you need to take are issued every Monday, so that isn’t a problem. I can give you the week if you need it. Any more than that and I have to clear it with corporate.”

“A week should do it.” Faith said, biting her lip.

“Something else you needed?” He asked.

“Yeah. You remember my first day? Those strange things that attacked us?” As he nodded, she sighed. “Something happened at our house. It got pretty trashed. I was hoping a few of the boys would be willing to put in some wrench time to get it fixed while I’m gone. I’m not loaded but I can give you guys a few bucks. And I’m willing to throw in for a huge barbecue when it’s all said and done. Complete with all the beer you guys can drink. Me and my girls will even do all the cooking and serving in Bikinis.”

Tony listened to her and smiled. “I think we can do that. Don’t worry about money. We got some extra supplies at the site that we can use. And for beer, these guys are willing to do just about anything.”

“And there won’t be any hot dogs and hamburgers. I’m talking center cut ribeyes and t-bones. All you can eat.” Faith added. “The works.”

“Now you’re talkin’,” Tony said, smiling. “I’ll get the boys on the horn and we’ll get to work.”

She gave him a warm hug. “Thanks, Tony.”

“No problem.” He said, happily. “Do a lot for people we respect. Good luck in LA. Hope it all works out.”

“So do I.” Faith said, before leaving. She stopped by the motel and picked Tara up. “I’m driving my car to LA. I’m leaving you this so you have something to get around in.”

Tara nodded. “That’s fine.”

“I talked to Daniel to let him know that we were taking Buffy to get fixed in Los Angeles. He was pretty freaked, but I told him it would be okay.” Faith said. “He really loves her.”

“They make a cute couple. I’m surprised that her being a robot doesn’t bother him.” Tara offered.

“Me, too. Oh, I talked with Tony, my boss. He said he’ll get some boys to come over and fix the house. We owe them a barbecue with steaks and beer. And yes, we have to do it in bikinis.” She looked at Tara. “Sorry. It was either that or hire a contractor for a small fortune.”

The blonde sighed. “I suppose if that’s price we pay. I just don’t think I look good in a bikini.”

Faith looked at her incredulously. “You’re kidding, right? T-bear I’ve seen you naked. You got kickin’ curves. You’re hot as hell.” The blonde blushed and smiled. “I also gave Spike my Harley.”

“The motorcycle you just built?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t using it and he deserves it for all he’s done for us. He’s gonna be watchin’ the town while I’m gone. Figured he could use it.”

“That was awfully generous of you,” Tara said, smiling. They pulled up to the house.

Xander was already there nailing plywood over the front window. They walked up to him. “Hey, Xan-man.” Faith said. “Thanks for coming over so quickly.”

“Not a problem.” He said, hugging her. “I’m here to help. Tony called me. Said he got a hold of most of the guys from the site. We’re gonna have about a dozen set of hands over the next week. He also said something about bikinis and beer.” He bobbed his eyebrows.

“For you, Xander, I’d cook it all topless.” Faith said, tapping his nose. “But  _just_  for you.”

“I can do it alone, you know.” He said.

“Nice try, bud.” Faith said. “Word of warning. If you’re still here at sundown, Spike is gonna be stopping by the pick up my bike. I gave it to him this afternoon.”

“I get a barbecue, he gets a vintage Harley,” Xander said, trying to sound hurt, but failing miserably as he was smiling a mile wide.

“He’s fighting vampires and demons. You’re working on a house.” Faith said, pecking him on the cheek. “And you get scantily clad, waitresses.”

“Fair enough,”Xander said. “Good luck in LA.”

An hour later, Willow and Faith were in the front seats of the Roadrunner with Buffybot belted in the back. They were cruising toward Los Angeles doing better than eighty miles an hour. Faith looked at her gauges and nodded. “We should be there in about an hour and a half, maybe less.” She offered. Willow sat back and enjoyed the scenery. But she couldn’t help the massive ball of lead that sat in the pit of her stomach.

 


	34. Chapter 34

 

Faith pulled off the freeway just after dark and headed for the hotel. “So they bought this place last year, huh?” She asked.

Willow nodded. “Apparently, their office blew up.”

“Yeah, I had nothin’ to do with that.” Faith said. “In case you were wonderin’.”

“I know that,” Willow said, smiling. “You were in the pokey then.”

“Pokey? That’s an innocent as hell name for it.” Faith offered. “Question.” She said as she rounded the corner to the main drag in front of the hotel. “What do a biker gang, a quartet of demons in black cloaks and a host of vampires have in common?”

Willow looked at her and shrugged. “I don’t know, what?”

“Neither do I. But in a few seconds we’re gonna find out the hard way.” Faith said, pointing. Four demons stood on the sidewalk, facing the hotel and appeared to be chanting. In the street, the bikers and the vampires immediately began mixing it up. “What the hell is going on?”

“I can feel a magic barrier spell. Angel must have put it over the hotel. Something about no demon violence being committed within. They were all waiting for the demons to break down the barrier is my guess.” Willow looked at Faith. “We can’t let them get that barrier spell down.”

Faith nodded. “Then we won’t. Buckle up.” She said, shifting gears. She gunned it and bumped up onto the sidewalk, immediately running down the demon casters. The cloaked figures bounced up over the car and crashed to the ground. Faith ripped the e-brake and threw the car into a u-turn, facing the horde again. Willow held on for dear life as the car slid violently.

The vampires and bikers stopped brawling with each other and turned collectively toward the car.

“I think you got their attention,” Willow said, fearful.

Faith grinned. “Good.” She was back on the gas and launched toward them. The combined horsepower and torque of the engine being fed to the ground lifted the front end of the car from the street before taking off. The wheels dropped back to the asphalt before she plowed through several of the vampires and motorcyclists. They tried to dive out of the way, but a few weren’t so lucky. Bodies flew every which way.

 

Charles Gunn stared out the window with fear gripping his chest. The demons began chanting, lifting their hands toward the building. He knew immediately what they were trying to do. He trotted down the stairs to inform the rest of the group. “Guys, the Lilliad demons are starting their mojo on the force field.” A moment later, he watched as a large car pulled up.

Wesley, Cordelia, Fred and Lorne moved about gathering weapons and readying for the conflict that all of them felt was inevitable.

Gunn watched the car intently. Several men climbed out of the vehicle. “Ah, right, sun’s down, vamps can come out, too.” He furrowed his brow as vampires from the car automatically headed toward the men on the motorcycles. “Wait, they’re headed towards the bikers.”

Fred looked up at him. “What are they doing?”

Gunn came down the stairs. “They’re, uh, having a brawl over who gets to kill us first.”

Wesley moved over and lifted an axe, handing it to Cordelia. “We have to hold our ground.”

Cordelia looked down at the axe and gave it a couple of practice swings. “What if we can’t?” She asked, feeling a ball of dread fill her stomach.

Wesley lifted the flamethrower and carried it toward Angel. “If we’re forced to fall back we’ll do so towards the cellar. We can make a retreat through the sewer.”

Angel stood, staring around the hotel. “This isn’t going to work.” He said, looking down at the baby in his arms.

Wesley, misunderstanding, looked at the flamethrower and back to the vampire. “I checked it. It’s primed and ready.”

“Not the weapon, the plan,” Angel said, suddenly fearful.

Gunn stood atop the stairs. The sound of another vehicle racing through the streets caught his attention. He trotted back to the window in time to see a matte black muscle car run the Lilliad demons down. “Hey, uh, Angel?” The vampire looked up at him. “You’re not gonna believe this. Someone in a black Plymouth Roadrunner just ran the demons over.”

Fred and Lorne both smiled. “Well, that’s good right?” Fred asked, nervously. “I mean, if they’re hurt, they can’t perform the spell and the barrier won’t come down, right?” She looked at the rest of the group to see fear clutching them all. “Right?”

Angel moved up and looked out the window beside Gunn. “Why do I know that car?” He asked. He was pretty certain he’d never seen it before, but it somehow seemed familiar. The pair watched as the car fishtailed, paused a moment, then lifted into a wheel stand as it raced back toward the vampires and bikers, likewise running some of them down.

“Damn. Whoever is behind the wheel of that thing isn’t screwin’ around.” Gunn said.

As the car screeched to a stop, they watched the driver climb out. Angel smiled brightly. “I’ll be damned.” He said.

 

Faith climbed out of the car, hitting the boot release as she did so. She ran around and pulled a pair of stakes and stepped back out. “Alright, boys. Time to dance.”

The vampires snarled and raced at her. She met them head on. She dropped to her knees as a vampire leapt at her with a jump kick. She rammed her right stake up into his crotch as he flew over her. Her left hand drove her second stake into the side of a vampire’s knee. She shot to her feet and loosed a hard front kick that threw a third vampire back into his friends. She spun again and dusted the pair of wounded undead in one swift motion. She didn’t know what any of these people were after, but she would be damned if she’d let them get it. The one person in the world that refused to give up on her when she was at her worst was inside this hotel and she was not going to let anyone kill him. Not on her watch.

Not one to let her girlfriends down, Willow climbed out of the car as the bikers made their way toward the slayer.

“Going somewhere?” She said, crossing her arms and staring them all down.

“Kill the redhead bitch. Then take out the other one.” A large bald biker with a thick black beard said. “We’ll get in another way.”

Willow held her hands out, palms up. “Ignis Incende,” She said, drawing upon her inner stores of power. Blackbeard immediately burst into flames. He screamed and ran about, flailing wildly. His friends tackled him to the ground and tried putting him out with their jackets. “Anyone else wanna try me on?” Willow snapped, her voice filled with bravado.

Two of the bikers looked at her and rose to their feet. “Yeah, I think we do.” One of them said, growling.

Willow clenched her fists and drew power into herself. “Da’ mae hiim.” She let the magic flow over her. “I hope this works.” She said, readying for the attack. The bikers both came at her at once. The first launched a hard rabbit punch that nearly knocked her from her feet. The other kicked her in the leg, dropping her to her knees. The first kicked her in the chest, throwing her to the ground. “That hurt.” She said, quietly. She quickly drew upon a spell and thrust her hands toward the pair. “Repello!” She shouted.

The bikers were immediately thrown backward into the side of the large four-door sedan the vampires had climbed out of. She climbed to her feet as the men slowly rose to theirs. She ran at them, drawing her fist back and letting fly. Thanks to her spell, she was near slayer levels of strong. Her fist crashed into the first biker’s face, spinning him up and over the car, to land unconscious on the other side. She then gripped the second biker’s long greasy hair and bounced his skull off the hood of the car several times before throwing him over it to land atop his friend. Neither men were in the condition of putting up further struggle.

Faith spun on her heel and slapped the vampire across the teeth with a reverse spin kick the flipped him up into the air. She stabbed him in the chest, dusting him as she came back around. Another undead tried his luck…for all the good it did him. He lashed out, catching her across the jaw with a right hook. She accepted the hit, spinning to her right and plunging the stake home with a hard backhand.

The bikers and vampires all understood that there was nothing for it. The demons were their key into the building. But with them out of the equation, and the pair that had arrived to provide backup, they were just grist for the mill.

The men climbed back on their bikes, leaving their fallen behind, and raced off into the night. The few remaining vampires likewise got into their car and tore off.

Faith stepped over to her girlfriend and dropped a hand on her shoulder. “Nice work, babe.” She pulled Willow in and kissed her lovingly.

Willow wrapped her arms about the slayer, returning her embrace.

Faith moved over to the unconscious bikers and, after rifling through their pockets for cash and whatever valuables she could find, she slapped one of them awake. “Hey! Hey, buddy?”

The biker came up startled. “Wha…oh, fuck.” He said, backing away from her.

She smiled and shook her head. “Come on.” She said, offering her hands to him. “Lemme help you up. Don’t worry, I ain’t gonna do nothin’ to ya.” He sat there a moment and took her hands, letting her drag him to his feet. “You’re buddies abandoned you. Might wanna think about gettin’ the rest of the gang woke up and take a hike.” She said, motioning to the few other bikers that were on the ground. He nodded and went about getting them woken up.

Willow was at the car pulling the seat forward and getting Buffybot unbuckled. “That barrier is really strong.”

“How does it work?” Faith asked as she hoisted the deactivated robot onto her shoulder.

Willow put the seat back and closed the door, putting her backpack on. “It’s a full on protection spell. Nothing in, nothing out.”

“Then how do we get in?” Faith asked. “Cause no offense to her, but metal britches here isn’t exactly a lightweight.”

“Let’s go and see if Angel left a way in for friendlies.” Willow made her way up to the main entrance.

Angel stood and the front door, smiling at the pair…with a baby in his arms. “Willow?” He asked, happily. “Faith.” He added. He suddenly turned solemn. “Buffy?” He said, his voice flowing to a whisper.

“Hey, Angel.” Faith said. “She’s a robot. Long story. Any way past this mojo shield you got goin’ on here?” She asked with a smile.

After a roundabout trek through the sewers and up through the basement, the pair sat Buffybot on the circular sofa in the lobby of the hotel.

Faith stood and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Christ, she’s heavy.” She turned and looked up at Angel. “Hey, big fella.” She pulled him in for a hug. She then looked at the baby. “Who’s this?” She asked, tickling his chin. “He looks kinda like you.”

“That’s because he is mine,” Angel said, smiling. “His name is Connor.”

Faith looked up at him and over at Cordelia, who stood in a pair of sweatpants and a red hoodie. “Wow.” She said. “I  _never_  saw that one comin’.”

The ex-cheerleader looked at her a moment with a raised eyebrow. “What? Oh, no, no, no. He is  _so_  not mine.”

Angel turned and looked at her. “Why? You have a problem with him?”

“No. He’s a cutie. And he’s got a great dad. It’s his mother I’m not a fan of.” Cordy said. “By the way, weren’t you convicted of murder and sent to a state correctional facility for like a gazillion years?”

“Murder 2. Twenty-five to life, for the record.” Faith said. “Got time off for good behavior. And you know…destiny.”

“You gonna go crazy and try to kill Angel again?” Cordy asked.

“Nope.” Faith said. “I’m pullin’ for the good guys now.” She looked up at Angel. “And I’d give everything I had for the one person that didn’t give up on me when everyone else did.” When the last words left her mouth, she turned to look directly at Wesley.

The ex-Watcher stared tight-lipped at her. “Faith.” He said, his voice cold. “You’re looking well.”

“You look better than you did last time I saw you.” She looked him over. “You’re definitely workin’ badass like you own it. You’d have worn this vibe back in Sunnydale, I might not have thought you were such a dork.” Angel and Cordy both snorted.

Wesley narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think back then you really cared about anything but yourself.”

Faith actually nodded. “You’re right. I did only care about myself. Because no one else seemed to.”

“That isn’t true,” Wesley said, suddenly irritated. “The Watcher’s Council cares a great deal about the slayers in its employ.”

Faith crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. “Really? Did they care enough to call the Slayer’s Watcher to tell them that there was another slayer out there? Or that she was on her way to Sunnydale? No. They didn’t. B and Tweed had to find out after Buffy and Kendra beat the shit out of each other. Did they bother telling either of them that I was around? How about calling them to let them know that Post was heading to town? Oh, or how about giving a shit when Mrs. S got captured by Kralik?” She pointed to Angel. “Or how about when I poisoned him? He’d been fighting the good fight right alongside Buffy…a few months notwithstanding, and what did they do to help him?” She shook her head. “No. Sorry to rain all over your parade there, Wes, but back then, the Watcher’s Council really didn’t give a shit about the slayers. After all, they could always get a new one.”

“I’m sorry that the Watcher’s Council didn’t throw their support behind a murderous psychopath that squandered every opportunity she was given,” Wesley said, simply.

“That’s the thing, Wesley.” Faith said, moving up to him. “If the Council  _had_  given a shit, maybe I never would have been a murderous psychopath, to begin with.” She cocked her head. “You ever think of that?”

“No.” He said, shaking his head. “I don’t. Thinking about you wasn’t really worth my time.”

She smiled at him. She knew what he was trying to do. He was baiting her. Trying to get her to lash out in anger. But, sadly she’d found her calm. It was in the form of the beautiful redhead beside her, the blonde robot sitting lifelessly on the sofa, the pretty blonde and the brunette teen back in Sunnydale. “Nah.” She said, shaking her head. “Thinking period wasn’t really worth your time.” She turned away from him. “Explains why you’re playing second fiddle to Angel here. Couldn’t cut it on your own.”

“Damn. That was harsh.” The large black man offered his hand. “Name’s Gunn. Two N’s.”

“Faith.” She said, taking his hand. “Love the name. You any good with that crossbow?”

“Gotta be, hangin’ around tall dark and broody.” He said, smiling.

Faith looked at Angel. “Wow. He does know you.” She turned back to him. “Nice to meet you.”

“Those were some serious moves out there. You must be the new slayer.”

“Got a little dangerous for a while.” Faith said. “Did some soul searchin’ in the pen.”

He nodded. “I know how that is. This tall freaky green guy is Lorne.”

Lorne took her hand and kissed the back of it. “It is a genuine pleasure to meet you. And made even more so given that you saved our collective behinds.”

“You’re smooth. I gotta watch it around you.” Faith said, smiling.

“I’m Fred.” The petite girl offered her hand.

“Holy shit.” Faith said, looking her over. She turned to Willow. “And I thought you were mousey.” She looked back to Fred. “Red says you got gray matter to spare.”

Fred blushed and lowered her head. “I wouldn’t say that. I’m not  _that_  smart.” The girl was doing her level best to disappear in front of their eyes.

“Yeah, you are.” Faith said. “All the shy ones are geniuses it seems.”

“So what brings you down here?” Angel asked.

“Oh, no you don’t. You’re carryin’ a fuckin’ baby. You don’t get to change the subject like that. I wanna know the whole story.”

“It’s his and Darla’s.” Cordelia offered.

“Darla?” Faith asked. “Who the hell is Darla?”

“She’s a vampire that got killed and resurrected as part of a prophecy…” Wesley began.

Faith put her hand up. “Ugh. Forget it. The word prophecy comes up and I automatically start getting a migraine. I don’t need to know that bad. Besides, when this group is involved, prophecies are open to serious interpretation. Or, you know, complete bullshit.” She looked at Willow who shook her head. She then turned to Angel. “What were those guys wanting get in here so bad for?”

Angel pointed to the whiteboard. “These are the groups that want my son.”

She looked the list over. “What do they want him for?”

“He’s the son of two extremely powerful vampires,” Angel said. “And there’s a bounty on his head.”

Faith took the eraser and wiped the vampire cult, the bikers and the Lilliad Demons off the list. “Who is this Holtz?” Faith asked. “He’s at the top of the list.”

“He’s a vampire hunter. He’s after Angelus because me and Darla turned his family and he was forced to destroy them.” Angel said sadly. “He’s one of the few on the list I actually understand. He’s after revenge.”

“So he wants your kid?” Faith asked, staring at the name.

“And he’s got every right to…” Angel began.

“No.” Faith said, shaking her head. “He doesn’t. What you did was on you, not on Connor. He wants the tyke, he’s gonna have to come through me to get him.”

“What stake do you have in this?” Wesley asked. “The child isn’t your problem.”

Faith looked at him. “See, Wes. That’s where you’re wrong. There’s three reasons I’m willing to stand tall between the kid and oblivion.” She began walking toward him. “One; I promised B I’d look after everyone that was special to her. She came to me the night she died, saying that it was up to me to protect the people she loved. Angel here falls into that category. And now that he’s a daddy, so does his son.” She continued to move toward him. “Two; Protecting people is what good guys do. I’m fighting for the home team now.” She stood in front of him, staring into his eyes.

“That’s two.” He said, somewhat nervously.

“Three?” She grinned. “Given the shit, I did to you…you knowin’ that I’m a good guy now just pisses you off. Especially considering the fact that the shit I did to you is the only thing about my past that I’m  _not_  regretful of.”

“You don’t feel sorry for what you did to me?” He asked.

“Not one fucking bit.” Faith said to him. “Because it was  _you_  that sold me out to the Watcher’s Council. You know damn well what they would have done to me. They’d have killed me, Wesley.”

“You don’t know that.” He said, sternly.

“But you do.” She said to him. “They would have just taken me out because they couldn’t control me. And what the Watcher’s Council can’t control? They destroy.”

“Exactly what kind of attitude I’d expect from a stubborn ill behaved  _child_.” Wesley snapped, leaning forward to get into her face.

“Odd words.” Faith said, grinning widely at him. “Considering that of the two of us…I’m the one still working for them.”

“I gave up my chance to work for them again…” Wesley said. “To save you.” He cocked his head. “Do you remember that?”

She grabbed him, slamming him against the counter.

He didn’t make a move to defend himself. “Ah.” He said, smiling. “There she is.” He looked at Angel. “I told you. A rabid animal.”

She smiled down at him. She then pulled him in and kissed him firmly, burying her tongue in his mouth. He was so shocked that he couldn’t move. For long moments she held him, then slowly drew back. “No, Wes. I didn’t remember that. I actually forgot about that.” She stepped away from him. “Thanks.”

He stood, staring blank-faced at her. “You kissed me.” He said, softly. His voice was so full of disbelief, it was almost comical.

“Don’t get used to it.” Faith said, moving back to the board. “Alright. This is how it’s gonna play. Fred? You and Red…”

“You kissed him,” Willow said, somewhat hurt.

“Come on, Red.” Faith said. “He did actually give up a lot to save my ass. And I did torture shit out of him.” The slayer looked at the ex-Watcher. “And truthfully…when he sold me out, he was just doin’ his job. He was loyal to his calling. Can’t really fault him for that.” She stared into his eyes. “Maybe someday I’ll actually get around to apologizing.”

“Someday I may get around to accepting it.” He offered in a similar spirit.

“So, as I was saying…” She looked at the list. “Why is Wolfram and Hart on here?”

“Because they want the baby as well,” Cordy said. She pointed to the cages. “That’s their handiwork. Along with most of this mess.”

“Why do they want the kid?” Faith asked. “I mean…they’re lawyers. What was the kid in escrow or something?”

“Prophecy,” Wesley said. “They were the one’s that resurrected Darla.”

“Fuckin’ lawyers.” Faith said. “Okay. As I was saying this is how we run it. Fred and Willow get Buffybot put back together. Cordy, Wes, Gunn. You three are on guard duty in case anyone else tries for the kid. Lorne. You got any street contacts you can talk to?”

“Yeah, I know some people.” He said, nodding.

“Good. Hit the streets. Start getting us some locations on this list. Me and Angel are gonna start knocking ‘em out.”

“I can’t leave him,” Angel said, looking at the baby.

“You want him safe?” Faith asked, crossing her arms.

“I’m not letting anything happen to him,” Angel said.

“Fine.” Faith said, shaking her head. “With your head wrapped about the brat, you ain’t no use to me.” She looked at Gunn. “You’re with me. Load up an anything you can carry. We’re gonna start hitting the names on this list.” She pointed to Holtz. “Starting with him.”

“Be careful,” Angel said. “He’s dangerous.”

“And we have no idea where to find him,” Gunn said, stepping up to the weapons locker. “He’s been popping up but we got no way of tracking him down.”

Faith grinned. “Oh, I can find him. We just gotta find someone who knows more than we do and ask him.”

Gunn smiled. “Might have to ask him pretty hard.”

“I can do hard.” Faith said, smiling. She pointed at Angel. “Just ask him.”

Angel furrowed his brow. “Don’t go back there, Faith.”

She stared into his eyes. “Don’t run that deep anymore, hoss. But I can’t deny that a part of me still lives there. Always will. But you gotta know the darkness to avoid it, right?” She patted his shoulder. “Relax. I’m one of the good guys now.” She motioned Gunn to follow her. “Just like the Punisher.”

“Always liked those comics,” Gunn said.

Lorne sighed and looked around. “Looks like I’ve got some digging to do.” He made his way to the door of the basement, behind the slayer and the hunter.

Cordy looked around at the rest of the group. “Am I the only one who actually feels sorry for Holtz right now?”

 


	35. Chapter 35

 

Faith slid in behind the wheel as Gunn climbed in the passenger side of the car. “Yeah, we gotta figure out a way to fix that shield. Getting tired of walking through the sewers.” Faith said, firing up the rig.

“You tellin’ me you don’t like the scenic Los Angeles metropolitan sanitation pipeline?” Gunn asked, smiling.

She looked at him. “I saw turds, Gunn. Big juicy brown…”

“You can stop now.” He said, shaking his head. “Nasty.”

“Exactly.” She pulled away and headed off. “We need to find a vampire. They talk to each other. He’ll know something. We just gotta get him to spill it.”

“I can find you one.” He said. “Take a right up here. Back on the block, we used to deal with ‘em all the time.”

“You been fightin’ this war for a while, haven’t you?” Faith asked him.

“Seems like my entire life.” He said, quietly. “What about you?”

“I didn’t even know vampires existed until my Watcher found me. About four, five months before I got called. When I was a potential, she would take me and have me just take on one, maybe two vampires a night. Now, I’m all about the beat down. I try to find as many as I can and take ‘em out.”

“Angel and crew never really talked about you, but they all seemed to know you. What’s up with that?” He asked.

“I got dangerous for a while.” Faith said. “When I got to Sunnydale at first it was alright. New town, no Watcher to feed me the lesson plan. Just me and the vampire public. Buffy was a slayer and we got along pretty well. I’m not gonna go into a lot of that, but I will say that some bad shit happened and communication kinda broke down. They didn’t really wanna get to know me and being the loner that I was, I didn’t try all that hard either. Me and B ended up killin’ a human and shit went downhill from there. I ended up turning coat and playing for the wrong side. Me and B ended up throwin’ down and I got put in a coma for eight months.”

“Was that before or after you supposedly poisoned Angel?” Gunn asked.

Faith actually liked that there was absolutely no accusation in his voice whatsoever. “After. That’s why Buffy tracked me down. We threw down and she stabbed me.” She lifted her shirt. “Still got the scar to prove it.” She let it down. “I came out of the coma and for some reason, was just pissed as hell at her for it. I think…I was just hurt. The Mayor of Sunnydale was a seriously bad piece of work. He wanted to turn himself into an uber-powerful demon.” She sighed. “And I was trying to help him.”

“Why did you change sides and go to work for him if he was such a badass?” Gunn asked her.

“Truthfully, I was going to go to him and try and get inside to spill everything to the gang. I just…he was actually nice to me. He seemed like he genuinely cared about me. Everyone who claimed they cared always either abandoned me or died. Given who he was, I figured maybe he was someone I could get behind.” She sniffed and wiped a tear away. “And Buffy and friends took him away from me. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I understand their reasoning.”

“It’s hard to lose someone who cares about you,” Gunn said. “In your position, I might have done the same thing.”

Faith looked at him. “Really?”

“Oh yeah. I was born and raised on these streets. Before I hooked up with Angel and company, I had a crew. We fought vampires and did the best we could. All we had was each other. We had our ups and downs and a lot of good people bought it, but we held strong.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn’t had them to back me up.” He stared at her a moment. “I’d have probably taken the first bone thrown my way, too.” She gave him an appreciative smile. “So why is Wes so pissed at you?”

“After I came out of the coma, me and Buffy had another run in. I screwed her life up pretty bad and ran to LA. I was pretty well spent by then. I hit rock bottom. I kidnapped Wesley and tortured him for hours. I was doing it for two reasons. The first, you know. When I was sliding into the abyss, Angel was trying to get through to me. He and Buffy did their best to keep me from fallin’. It almost worked, until Wes and the goon squad from the Watcher’s Council showed up and wanted to take me back to England to be executed. Yeah, they say it would have been some sort of bullshit trial, but either way, my neck would have been on the block.”

“You said there were two reasons. What’s the second?” Gunn asked.

“I wanted to piss Angel off enough to kill me.” Faith said, her voice like stone. “I’d given up. Everything I had done caught up to me and I just couldn’t deal with the pain of caring.”

“I’ve known Angel a couple years now and I know he’d never have killed you,” Gunn said. “Man ain’t got it in him. He tried really hard to be all Dark Avenger and shit a year or so ago, but he really didn’t have the chops to be evil. Not like he was.” He shook his head. “He wouldn’t have killed you.”

“I think…I think maybe I knew that.” Faith said. “I look back on it and remember him wanting to help me. Saying that once you get a taste of that darkness, you can never come back. But he did. He knew how bad it could get. I think I knew he wouldn’t kill me. That he was probably the one person that would be willing to give me the second chance that I knew no one else would.”

“He ain’t the only one,” Gunn said. “I remember when Willow came down a few months ago. She told me all about how Buffy died. You said she came to you in a dream the night she died?”

“The Powers that Be gave her a chance to say goodbye. She came to me and told me that she forgave me for the shit I done and told me to take care of her sister and her friends. I promised that I would or die trying.” Faith offered. “I meant every word of it.”

“Yeah, I can see that. You just kinda breezed in and laid down the law.” He grinned. “That’s why I like you.”

“Nah, you got other things on your plate, there big man.” Faith said.

“What are you talkin’ about?” He asked.

“Fred. She’s into you somethin’ fierce.”

“You serious?” He asked. “I don’t get that vibe from her.”

“She checks you out every time you walk around the room.” Faith pointed quickly. “There.”

“Yeah, he’s definitely a bloodsucker,” Gunn said, checking his crossbow. “Just out of curiosity, how did you know?”

“No reflection in the window when he walked past it.” She looked at him. “What about you?”

“Shoes and pants,” Gunn said. “He’s wearing mango polyester pants and white dress loafers.”

“You have been spending way too much time with Cordelia.” Faith said as she pulled to a stop.

“Hell no.” He said. “I watch Project Runway. I’m a fan of Tim Gunn.”

“Gee. I wonder why.” Faith said, grabbing a stake from the back seat.

He smiled. “Brotha from anotha mutha.” The pair climbed out and immediately began following the vampire. He was average height with a brunette mullet and a simple gait.

The vampire turned and saw the pair of them. Faith immediately smiled. “Davey?” She asked, happily. “Oh my god.” She quickly moved up to him. “How are you?”

The vampire drew back. “I’m not Davey.” He said, nervously.

“What?” She said, looking at him. She took his shoulders and drew him under a street light. “Oh, god.” She said, putting her hand to her mouth. “I am so sorry. I just…you look just like one of my dad’s friends. You got a brother?”

“My family is long dead.” He said to her.

Gunn wrapped his thick arm around the vampire’s neck and pressed a stake to his back. “Yeah. We know.” He said. “Move a muscle and this stake turns you into potting soil.”

The pair dragged the vampire into the alley and threw him back against the wall. “Alright.” Faith said, pacing back and forth. “This is how the game works. I ask you a question, you answer it. You don’t? And my big friend here puts a stake in you. Now in case you’re wondering…” Faith said, reaching out and grabbing his throat. She began squeezing his neck. “Yes, I  _am_  who you think I am.”

“Slayer.” He croaked.

“Right in one.” She let him go and thumbed toward Gunn. “He’s been killing your kind since Bomber jackets were in style. And we both know that you can feel pain just like anyone else.” Faith ripped his shirt open to reveal his bare chest. “The fact that you heal quickly isn’t gonna be a huge benefit for you tonight. You tell me what I wanna know and I’ll let you live, fair? Good. Now. We’re looking for a man named Holtz. Got a hard on for a particular vampire. Where can I find him?”

“How the hell should I know?” The vampire asked. Gunn stepped forward and pressed a cross to his chest. Faith gripped the vampire’s arms as he tried to push the big man’s hand away. He growled and shouted. “Alright!” He said, angrily. As the pair moved back, he rubbed the burn on his chest. “I don’t know anything about him. I’ve…I’ve heard talk, that’s all. There’s a girl. Fancies herself a slayer. She’s been goin’ around takin’ vampires out. Couple a guys at the bar downtown said they saw her talkin’ to some old guy. That’s all I know.”

“What’s her name?” Faith asked. “And where can we find her?”

“Goes by the name of Justine. Don’t know what her last name is.”

Faith shot in again. She rammed the stake into his chest and got real close and personal. “Where…” She gave it a twist. “Can we find her?”

“I don’t know where she lives.” He said. “I only know she works at some bar down by the docks. A bar called Sangria’s.”

“Sangria’s. Down by the docks.” Faith said, looking at Gunn.

He nodded. “I know the place. Dive bar.”

Faith stepped back and pulled the stake out of his chest. “Appreciate it.”

“You’re letting me go?” The vampire asked.

“I am.” She said. “I’m a girl of my word.”

“But I never told you shit,” Gunn said, firing his crossbow into the vampire’s chest. “Looks like we got a place to start.”

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the bar. Gunn wasn’t kidding. “I think this is the place Quentin Tarantino films like, every movie he makes.” Faith said. “I need a tetanus shot just lookin’ at this joint.”

“It’s not as bad when you get inside,” Gunn said, climbing out of the car. “It’s worse.”

“Now, why am I not surprised?” Faith asked, following him inside. The room was extremely dimly lit. The smell of cigarette smoke and stale beer permeated the interior. They moved up to the bar.

“What are you havin’?” The large burly bartender asked.

“We’re lookin’ for someone. Girl that works here by the name of Justine. Not sure what her last name is.” Faith pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of her pocket. “That if you can tell me her last name. Double it if you have an address.”

“Cooper.” He said, taking the twenty. “But she don’t work here. She just comes by every day and gets drunk.”

“Know where we can find her?” Faith asked, taking another twenty out.

He nodded. “I’ve seen her ID enough. 1722 Spaulding. You didn’t hear it from me.” He moved to take the twenty, but Faith pulled it back.

“One more thing. She ever come in here with a man? Older dude. Looks really out of place. Guy by the name of Holtz?”

The bartender shook his head. “She never comes in with anyone. Just stops in, gets plastered and wanders out a couple hours before dark.”

Faith offered him the cash. “Appreciate doin’ business with you.” She turned and motioned for Gunn to follow her.

“You rich or something?” He asked.

She shook her head as she moved around to the side of the building. “Nope. Rolled the bikers I knocked out before I woke ‘em up. They had about six bills, all told.” Faith said. “Let’s go and see if she’s home.”

 

Willow sat with her laptop working feverishly at the programming mess. “I don’t know what he did, but it’s a nightmare in here. Mean bastard undid all my hard work.”

Fred moved over and looked over her shoulder. “That’s not the product of outside interference.” She pointed to a section of the screen. “See? That’s not an inputted command code. That’s internal. It looks like…” She furrowed her brow. “May I?” She asked, pointing to the keyboard. Willow nodded and scooted aside to let the girl in. Fred flipped through a few screens and nodded. “I thought so. It’s like the backup protocols that you put in place were accessed and were trying to delete the input command protocols.” She looked at Willow. “The internal memory and drives were giving priority to the backups. The reason it’s so clustered is that the conflict in the redundancies caused a software cascade that scrammed the entire system matrix.”

Willow nodded. “That makes sense, actually.”

Lorne, Angel, and Wes all looked at the pair of girls. “What does that mean? In English?” Lorne asked them.

“It means that when Buffybot was taken over by our mystery hacker, she started using information she had previously stored to reset her system and force the hacker out and it messed everything up,” Cordelia said from her place at the counter.

“You…understood what they said?” Angel asked.

“Well, someone had to learn how to use a computer before Fred showed up.”

“I’m impressed, Cordy,” Willow said, smiling.

“Well, I don’t wanna make the mistake of pushing ‘deliver’ again.” The short haired brunette offered with a grin. “Oh, yeah, I still remember that.”

“Well, you were mean to me and I was a passive aggressive bitch.” Willow offered.

“Never I said I didn’t understand it,” Cordy said, giggling. “I was proud of you when you did that. It was vindictive and clever.”

“Thanks,” Willow said. She knew a compliment when she heard one.

Angel paced around the hotel lobby and couldn’t help but stare at the robot. Just seeing her brought back old memories. “So…how much like Buffy is she?” He asked, softly.

Willow looked at him. “She’s…I don’t really know how to explain it. She’s like her, but she’s not. She has the same fashion sense and sounds like her, but she’s not Buffy. She’s sort of developed her own personality. She’s a different person now.”

“Does she know about me?” He asked. “If she were to see me…?”

Willow shook her head. “She was originally built for Spike…” She stopped immediately. “It’s um…it’s a long story.”

“What do you mean built for Spike?” Cordelia asked.

“This is not a conversation I am having with anyone in this room,” Willow said. “Or, you know, ever.”

“Oh, gross,” Cordy said, shuddering.

“What?” Angel asked. “What’s gross?”

“Spike had the hots for Buffy,” Cordy said. “And since he couldn’t have her…” She pointed to the robot. “He built the next best thing.”

Angel took a moment and looked from her, to the robot and back. “Did he…” Pointing to the bot.

“Yes, Angel. Spike had sex with  _that_.” Cordy said.

“I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.” Lorne said, turning away.

Willow shot to her feet. “Stop it!” She snapped. “You all can think what you want, but this robot has been the difference between life and death for us. Whatever she used to be, she’s a slayer now. Or as close as modern technology can get. She’s a part of our family. She’s got hopes and aspirations.” She looked at Angel. “And yes, she even has a boyfriend. And yes, he knows what she is and loves her anyway. So don’t be disrespectful to her because she’s a robot.” She looked at them all with her resolve face. “Do I make myself clear?” They all nodded sheepishly. “Good. Now go make yourselves useful so we can get our work done.”

She sat back down and went back to work, repairing the damage done to the robot’s systems. “She’s self-aware.” Fred said as she scooted back over so Willow could do her work. “She’s sentient.”

Willow nodded. “She understands she’s a robot, she understands she isn’t perfect and has flaws. She’s more self-aware than most people I know.”

“I think it’s great, what you are Faith are doing.” Fred said. “I can tell you love each other very much.”

Willow’s face hardened. “If she loved us she wouldn’t be kissing other people, now would she?”

Lorne came over and knelt in front of Willow. “That bothered you, huh?”

She looked at him and nodded. “I know it probably shouldn’t but…”

“Why shouldn’t it?” He asked. “The love of your life kissing someone else should make you angry. It should make you furious. I know I’d be seeing red over it.”

“Why are you trying to talk me into being mad at Faith?”

“Oh, I don’t have to talk you into it, sweetheart. I can tell you’re mad. What I’m saying is I understand it. What Faith did was wrong and you have every right to feel hurt by it. It’s not something people you love do.”

“What do you think I should do?” Willow asked.

“What would you say if I said leave her for it?”

“No!” Willow snapped.

He grinned. “I knew you’d say that. You obviously love her. And I can tell she loves you. Angels sing when she looks at you, honey.” He looked at Angel. “Well, some do.”

Willow smiled. “Faith has always been flirtatious, but…”

“It was out of line. You need to tell her it bothered you and she shouldn’t do it again. Be honest, be firm and direct. From what I’ve seen of your dark love, she prefers that approach anyway. She didn’t see it as such a big deal, but you do. That should mean something to her.”

“I’ll talk to her about it when she gets back.” Willow said, smiling. “Thanks, Lorne.”

He patted her knee and rose to his feet. “Still got it.” He said, straightening his suit. He looked around and stuck his finger in his ears. “Damn humming.” He said, looking around.

Willow looked at him. “What humming?”

Lorne moved in closely. “There are hidden cameras in the hotel.” He whispered to her. “Keep it on the DL.”

Willow nodded. She brought up a word document on the screen of her laptop. There are surveillance cameras in the building. If they’re monitoring them, they have to be doing it remotely. Probably a wireless signal connection. She looked at Fred with a raised eyebrow.

Fred looked at her and pulled the computer over. We could easily look for any wireless networks within range and shut it down.

Willow nodded. I can do that. She opened up the wireless network connections tab on the lower left corner of her desktop. She quickly brought up the connections available and saw only one. She immediately pulled a thumb drive out of her backpack and connected it to the computer. She opened the drive and activated a specific file. She connected to the network easily, running a quick codebreaker program she’d created. She smiled as she copied a compressed file and dropped it onto the main server that the network was connected to. She then unzipped the folder and watched the fun. Within seconds, the network connection shut down completely. She giggled happily, clapping her hands.

“What did you do?” Fred asked.

“I hacked the network and deposited about fifty different viruses on their system. They’re viruses I created when I was bored and I know for a fact that even the best virus protection can’t do squat for them. Right now, whoever put these cameras in is dealing with a complete mainframe failure.” Willow said.

“That would be Wolfram and Hart.” Angel said, angrily. “And right now, they’ve gotta be pretty pissed off.”

 


	36. Chapter 36

Faith pulled up to the apartment building and stepped out of the car. “Jesus Christ. I though the apartment I lived in back in Southie was bad.”

“Southie?” Gunn asked.

“Boston.” Faith said, shutting the door. “It’s where I grew up.” She walked to the front door and pulled it open. “It was a serious shithole.”

“This place ain’t actually that bad. Beats the hell outta where I grew up.” Gunn said. “They ain’t got nothin’ on the ghetto.”

“Charles?” Faith asked, looking at him as she moved to the mailboxes. “This  _is_  the ghetto. What you lived in was a DMZ.”

“That’s about right.” He said. “Justine Cooper.” He tapped the mailbox. “Number twenty-nine.”

Faith nodded and trotted up the stairs. Gunn kept pace, not showing a lick of fatigue. They made their way through the apartment building, trying not to look too out of place. They came to the door in question. Faith held up a finger and leaned in, putting her ear to it. She could hear the sounds of a television on low volume. She also heard the sounds of glass clinking. She motioned Charles to the side of the door, out of sight of the peephole and knocked. She stood in front of the door, running her hands up and down her arms, looking scared.

“Who is it?” A sharp female voice called from behind the door.

“My name’s Faith. I’m lost and don’t really know where I am. I was wondering if I could use your phone. I wasn’t able to find any payphones around here and I just need to call someone to come and pick me up. I promise I won’t be long.”

“You alone?” Justine asked.

“Yeah.” Faith said, nodding. “I can pay you.” She heard several locks being thrown and the door slid open. The girl was tall, with long red hair and a very intense look on her face.

She looked Faith up and down and stepped aside. “Make it quick.”

“Don’t mind it we do,” Gunn said, stepping around the corner.

Faith had to give the girl credit, she was quick as hell. She shot out and caught Charles across the face with a hard right hook that slammed his head against the door. She then put a boot into his chest that threw him out through the door to crash into the wall across the hallway. She then spun and slammed the door, separating the pair of them. “Bad move, honey.” She said to Faith, lunging at her.

But for all the girl’s speed and obvious fighting chops…she was no slayer. Faith ducked below the girl’s jab and put both of her palms onto Justine’s chest, pushing her back against the door. “Calm down, sister. We ain’t here to fight. We’re just looking for someone.”

“You found her.” She said. “Who sent you? You some fuckin’ vampire wannabe? Gunning’ for the sweet life of immortality or some other bullshit?”

“No.” Faith said, stepping back. “I’m a Slayer.”

“You’re what?” Justine asked. “You’re the slayer?”

“You know about me?” Faith asked.

“I’ve heard of the slayer. Thought you’d be bigger.”

“I get that a lot.” Faith said, moving over and pushing her away from the door. “This is Charles Gunn.” She said as she opened it to reveal the big black man. “He's very pleased to meet you.”

“Yeah. Made a great impression on my chin.” He said, rubbing his face. “You got a hell of a punch, girl.”

“In this neighborhood, you see a black dude; you either drop him, shoot him or run,” Justine said. “No offense.”

“None taken. Lot of the brotha’s don’t walk the same line I do.” He held out his hand. “No hard feelings.”

She took it and turned back to Faith. “What exactly are you doing here?”

“We’re looking for someone. Word on the street is you might know where to find him.”

“What makes you say that?” She asked moving to the sofa. She pulled a cigarette out and took a drag.

“You’ve been making the rounds, taking vamps out. The undead set’s begun to notice. Found one that outed you. He knew your name and saw you around Sangria’s down by the docks. Don’t worry I dusted him. He won’t be tellin’ anyone else. One of the boys at the bar said your name and knew where you lived.” Justine didn’t seem at all surprised by that. “He also said he saw you talkin’ to some old guy.” Faith sat on the edge of the girl’s armchair. “We need to know where to find him.”

“The old guy?” Justine asked. “What’s he to you?”

“A problem.” Faith said, simply. “He’s a hell of a lot more dangerous than he appears to be.”

“Yeah, he seemed pretty out of it. I mentioned Karate Kid to him and he had no idea what the hell I was talking about.”

“What did he say to you?” Gunn asked.

“He asked me if I wanted to be trained how to fight.”

“You don’t need any help with that.” Gunn offered.

“No, this guy coulda taken me,” Justine said. “He’s got mad skills.”

“He’s also evil as hell and wants to use you as a pawn.” Faith said. “I’ve got a lot of experience in that area. We need to find him and take his ass out.”

“Why? What did he do?” She asked.

“Do you know who Angel is?” Faith asked.

“Heard of him. He runs a private investigator service that specializes in the weird shit no one else’ll touch.” She took another drag on her cigarette. “Word has it, he’s a vampire.”

“He is.” Faith put a hand up. “Before you jump the gun, I want you to understand something. Angel is a one in a million vamp. He’s not like the rest of these assholes you and I take out. He’s actually one of the good guys. Think of him as…Mercer from the animated GI Joe Movie.”

Justine snickered. “I get that reference, actually.” She shook her head. “But what does he have to do with me?”

“The guy, Holtz, wants him dead and wants to kidnap his son.” Faith offered. “I’m not gonna let that happen. I made a promise to a friend before she died that I wouldn’t let anything happen to him.”

“No offense, but if he’s a vampire, why does he need you to protect him?” Justine asked. “From what I’ve heard of him, he’s a badass.”

“He is, but he’s also only one man and he’s got a kid he has to worry about now. He ain’t all there.”

“Let’s say I give up Holtz. What’s in it for me?” Justine asked.

“How about a job?” Gunn offered. “Getting paid to do what you’re doing anyway. Except this time you’ll be able to do it with quality weapons and backup.” He showed her the crossbow. “Holtz just wants your help to take out  _one_  vampire. You come to work for Angel? You’ll be dustin’ a lot more than just one. Trust me. We can use someone like you. You just gotta promise not to stake Angel in his sleep.”

Faith noticed the piece of paper with the newspaper article on it. She lifted it up and read it. “Your sister?” She asked, looking at Justine.

“Extra-carotid exsanguination, brought on by two unidentifiable lesions on her neck,” Justine said, touching the side of her own neck.

“Vampires.” Faith said. “Did you ever find the one that did it?”

Justine shook her head. “No. I’ve tried, but no one’s talkin’.”

“Tell you what?” Faith moved over and sat down next to her. “You tell us where we can find Holtz and we’ll talk to Angel and see if he’ll help find the son of a bitch that killed her and let you get some payback.”

“In addition to the job?” Justine asked.

Gunn nodded. “Like I said, we can always use another strong pair of hands. You promise not to kill Angel?”

“I don’t think I could, even if I wanted to.” She said. “But yeah, I won’t unless he makes me.”

“That’s pretty much what I said.” Gunn offered.

 

Willow typed away at her computer, doing her best to repair the damage that was done. “I’m almost finished.” She said, looking over at Fred.

For her part, the mousey brunette had on a pair of goggles and worked tirelessly with the soldering gun to fix the physical damage that had been inflicted during the struggle with Ted. “She took quite a beating.” The tiny girl offered. “But I got it taken care of.”

Willow moved over and took a look at what the girl had done. “Did you reinforce the area around her chest?”

“We had some diamond plate steel in the basement. That’s why I needed the welding torch.” Fred said. “Also why it took me three hours.”

Angel moved over and nodded. “That’s good work, Fred.”

She smiled at him and went back to it. Wes stood at the window, watching the soldiers that Wolfram and Hart had dispatched for the child. “It’s getting rather crowded out there.”

Willow finally managed to finish her programming and smiled. “Done.” She said, disconnecting her computer from the bot. “Fred, how are you coming along?”

“Should be just another couple of minutes.” She said. “A few more wires to connect. I also took the liberty of isolating her vital circuits away from the surface of her stomach, like they were before. Might be a little more work to get to them, but it’ll keep them from getting as damaged.”

Cordy moved over. “So is she ready to get turned on?” Everyone looked at Cordy with raised eyebrows. “What?” She asked.

Willow giggled and put her laptop away. “As soon as Fred is done.”

Fred finished her work and closed the now reinforced panel on the robotic slayer’s stomach. “There. All done.”

Willow looked to Angel. “You may wanna put the baby down. If this didn’t work, we’re gonna need someone strong enough to subdue her.”

Begrudgingly, he turned and handed the baby boy off to Cordy. She smiled and took him, making soothing noises as he fussed. “Alright.” He said, flexing his fingers in anticipation.

Everyone backed away from the robot but her and Angel. She pushed the depression on the back of Buffybot’s neck.

The blonde robot opened her eyes and looked at Willow. “Are you and Dawn okay?” She asked, immediately, concern in her voice.

Willow nodded. “We’re fine. What do you remember?”

“I was at work, and suddenly I had to go home.” She looked incredibly distraught. “Something invaded my programming. A subroutine was activated that I couldn’t isolate. I tried to reestablish control through my backups, but it wouldn’t work. I even tried purging my system drives, but my commands were overridden.” She shook her head. “I was being ordered to kill you and Dawn. I didn’t want to, Willow. I didn’t want to.”

Willow smiled and brushed the blonde’s hair from her eyes. “I know, Buffy. I know. It’s okay. We’re fine.”

“I’m sorry I broke Ted.”

“It’s okay. Do me a favor and run a self-diagnostic.”

The blonde closed her eyes. “Running.” For a few moments, she sat, motionless. “Self-diagnostic complete. No problems detected.”

Willow smiled. “That’s great. I’d like you to meet some friends of mine. This is Fred. She helped fix you.”

Buffy looked at the brunette and stood, offering her hand. “Thank you for repairing me.” She said, happily.

“It was my pleasure,” Fred said. “It was fun. I don’t get to work on things as advanced as you.”

Angel backed away as Cordy, Lorne and Wes moved forward. Cordy was introduced as a friend from high school and was likewise told that she was really pretty by the blonde. Wesley was a friend and former colleague of Giles. Lorne was introduced as a really nice demon that had been a huge help to the group over the past couple of years.

Finally, Willow introduced her to Angel. The big vampire was stunned speechless. “It’s nice to meet you.” He said, his voice nearly failing.

She smiled at him, taking his hand. “Nice to meet you, too.” As he stared at her, he watched as, for reasons he couldn’t explain, she gave him a soft, loving smile. “Don’t worry about me, Angel. I’m right where I should be.” Buffybot said to him, her voice soft and lilting. “And I’m happy.”

“What?” He asked her.

“What do you mean what?” Buffybot asked. She looked at him and to everyone around her. “Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Willow stepped closer. “Repeat what you just said.”

“I said that it was nice to meet him, too.” Buffybot offered.

“No, after that,” Angel said.

“What do you mean what?” Buffybot said, not understanding.

“You said not to worry, that you were right where you should be and that you were happy,” Wesley said. “What did you mean by that?”

“I didn’t say that,” Buffybot said, somewhat insistently.

Lorne looked at Angel, to Buffybot, and back to Angel. “Can I talk to you a second, Angel-cakes?” He led the vampire away from the group a moment.

“What is it?” Angel asked, seeming somewhat flustered.

“I know what that was, boobala,” Lorne said. “That was your beloved sending you a message from the great beyond.”

“That was actually Buffy? Buffy, Buffy?”

“Right in one, amigo. I think our darling little slayer hitched a short ride on the robo-train to put you at ease. I could feel something…strange when she said it. I wasn’t sure what it was until the tin machine there said she didn’t say anything. I’ve felt it before. Clients that have had poltergeists and restless spirits around them. But this wasn’t angry; it was sort of…content. That’s why I know it was your girl.”

“She said she’s right where she belongs and she’s happy,” Angel said. “You think she’s in heaven?”

“She was a shining beacon of hope for good, Angel-cakes. Where else would she be?” Lorne asked him. “Take heart, big guy. Your love is living the sweet life with her mom in paradise. Play your cards right, and you’ll see her again.” He patted Angel’s chest. “And without all that losing your soul, mumbo jumbo. No curses in heaven.”

Angel gave him a warm smile. “Thanks, Lorne.”

“My pleasure, mi compadre.” The demon said. “Now about that plan…”

A few minutes later, Angel packed up the blanket wrapped bundle and made his way to the sewers. “You need to buy me some time.” He said to the blonde robot. “And see if you can get some of them off my scent.”

Buffybot nodded. She grabbed a pair of swords and spun them expertly in her hands. “You’ll have all the time you need.”

“Just distract them. Angel will call us when he’s ready. Don’t be reckless with your life.” Willow said. “You’re important to us.”

The blonde smiled. “I’ve come to come to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubblegum.” She said, happily.

Wesley, Cordy, and Lorne all looked at Willow with their eyebrows raised. She shook her head and waved them away dismissively. She’d tried programming Buffybot with some good one-liners, as she had before. Instead of getting word salad, apparently, the bot decided to use quotes from movies at the wrong time. “It’s better than what she used to say,” Willow said to the group.

“And what was that?” Lorne asked.

“That’ll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo,” Willow said. “It was an awkward phase.”

“I’ll say,” Wesley said. “Alright. Angel’s in the sewers. It’s Buffy’s show.”

The robot moved to the door. “She isn’t going to be able to get out,” Lorne said a heartbeat before Buffybot walked through the barrier. “Or…maybe she will.” He looked to Willow with a questioning look.

“The field doesn’t recognize her as a form. It won’t let living things in or out. But being a robot, it wasn’t sure about Buffy and let her move freely through it.” Willow said. “While she’s handling that, we should work on altering the barrier to allow friendlies to come as go, but still keep out the baddies.”

Wesley nodded. “I’ll do what I can to help.”

Buffy walked out into the courtyard, her blades spinning slowly. “You take a mortal man…” She said, moving toward the pair of Humvee’s. “And put him in control.”

“Stop right there.” One of the soldiers said, stepping out and pointing a submachine gun at her.

“Watch him become a god.” She offered with a bright cheerful smile upon her face.

“One more step and I’ll drop you.” He said.

It was the last words he ever spoke as she ran the last few steps and struck, taking his head from his shoulders. His body twitched before he fell to the ground, dead. She turned to the shocked soldiers, grinning evilly. “Watch people’s heads roll.”

The men clamored to get out of the vehicles, all of them leveling their weapons at her. She giggled and moved around the rigs, using them as cover. “Did you see that?” Another asked. “Shit, I’ve never seen anything move that fast.”

“Just shut up and burn her down.” They all tried getting a bead on her, but she was moving far too quickly.

“Just like the pied piper…” Buffy said, ramming her blade into the back of one of the men. A soldier behind her managed to open up, firing shots into her back. She turned and lashed out with her other blade, catching him at the shoulder and cleaving him down to his navel. “…led rats through the streets, we dance like marionettes…” She pulled her blades free and jumped, landing on top of the hummer before flipping off to land in a crouch on the other side. Bullets pinged and rattled off the vehicle. “Swaying to the symphony…” A few shots punched holes in her legs and torso but did nothing to slow her down. As she landed, her blades whipped out, taking the other two occupants of the massive military four by four. “Of destruction.” She added as the two bodies hit the ground.

“Christ!” One of the three remaining soldiers said, reaching into the vehicle, toward the radio.

Buffy saw him and shook her head. “Acting like a robot…” She drew back and hurled the sword. “Its metal brain corrodes.” The blade flew straight and true, smashing through the windshield, burying itself in the seat after severing the man’s arm at the elbow. He screamed and fell backward. She was in motion and in his face in, but a fraction of a second. Her second sword pushed into his chest, cleaving his heart in two. “You try to take its pulse…” She shook her head and kicked him into his companion. “Before the head explodes.” She felt the bullets impact on her back. She knelt and spun, throwing her sword sidelong. The weapon whipped quickly through the air, removing a soldier’s legs.

“Just like the pied piper led rats through the streets.” She said, again, rising to her feet. She ran and spun kicked the last soldier across the face. “We dance like marionettes, swaying to the Symphony of Destruction.” She pulled both her blades free and looked at the downed soldier. “The earth starts to rumble.” She said, calmly as she watched him stagger to his feet. He’d lost hold of his weapon.

He pulled the k-bar he carried from his belt. “You’re gonna die, bitch.” He said, lunging at her.

In a lightning fast display, she took his arm at the elbow, stabbed him through the chest and took his head. “World powers fall.” She offered as he hit the ground in pieces.

She slowly turned to the last remaining soldier. He was on his stomach, trying to crawl away. Blood gushed from the severed stumps. “Warring for the heavens…” Buffy said, walking casually up to him. She put a foot on his shoulder and rolled him over, looking down at him. “A peaceful man stands tall.” She drove the sword down into his chest. “See?” She said, staring at him as he died. “Rock and roll  _ain’t_  noise pollution.” She moved over and pulled the microphone out of the car and put it up to her mouth. “Just like the pied piper, I killed your rats in the streets. They danced like marionettes, swaying to my symphony of destruction.” She ripped the mic out and dropped it. “Peace out.” She said before she stripped the bodies and stuffed them all back into the Humvee’s.

She carried all the gear back into the hotel. “I brought us this stuff. I thought it might be useful.”

Everyone watched her with wide eyes. “That…that was incredible,” Cordelia said, shocked. “You killed those guys.”

“They were trying to hurt us,” Buffybot said. “I didn’t want them doing that.”

“I guess not,” Lorne said. He looked to Wesley. “Best call Angel. Let him know he doesn’t have to worry about any of the boys from the hotel coming after him.”

Wes nodded and went for the phone.

Willow and Fred sat Buffybot down and began plucking the bullets out of her body. As much punishment as she had taken, it was definitely going to take a while.

Buffybot sat and smiled. She did a good thing and felt wonderful for it.

 


	37. Chapter 37

 

Faith walked along, looking about the caverns, shaking her head. “You know, just once, I’d like to track someone down that lives in a nice condo or a really fancy hotel. Getting sick of trudging through old caves and sewers.”

“How creepy or effective would the ‘Bat Condo’ or the ‘Four Seasons of Solitude’ be?” Gunn asked her.

“Okay, Batman I can forgive. He’s goin’ for creepy. Superman, I really don’t get. I mean, I suppose it makes sense…ish. Never was a fan of Superman anyway. I was more of a Dark Horse, Wildstorm and Image kid.”

“Who’s your favorite?” Gunn asked.

“Hellboy. More so now that I’m dealing with a lot of the same shit he was.” She smiled. “The movies were cheesy as hell, but they were cool. What about you?”

“Marvel kid. Mostly Avengers and X-Men.”

“Yeah, that pretty much covers just about everyone. In Marvel, you’re either a member of the Avengers or a member of one of the X-Teams.” Faith said.

“I really wanna argue that, but…wait Spiderman. No, he was a member of the Avengers for a while, too. At least he worked really closely with them. Shit, all I can think of is the Fantastic Four.” He thought a moment. “What about the Punisher? He ain’t a part of any team.”

“True, but ninety percent of his comics take place in a vacuum.” Faith said. “He’s one of the few Marvel characters I really dig on. He’s teamed up with a lot of heroes and actually fought a lot of them, too. But his comics a lot of time are stand-alone.” She said, creeping through the tunnel. The pair moved slowly and quietly. Faith could feel heat as she slid around a corner. She wasn’t sure she saw what she thought she saw. The chamber beyond looked like something from a movie set. It was dusty, as it if hadn’t been disturbed in years. Stone pillars littered the room. In the center sat a table with a Macintosh Computer on it.

Behind the computer sat a man in his late fifties. He typed away, searching internet pages for lord knows what.

They stepped into the room. “Ahem.” Faith said, moving up to him slowly. “Thought we’d stop by. Have a little chat.”

He rose to his feet and turned around, staring the both of them down. “I know you. Charles Gunn. You work for Angel.” He turned to Faith. “I have no idea who you are.” His voice was smooth and completely unafraid.

“I suppose it would be polite to introduce myself. I’m Faith, the vampire slayer.”

“You’re a slayer?” He asked, looking her up and down. “I’ve met one of you before.”

“Little blonde chick? Really into shoes?” Faith asked him.

“No. Her name was Fiona Gamble. She died in 1771 in Marseilles.” He smiled at her. “She was much like you. Brash, fiery. Always looking for a fight. And she carried the same pain in her eyes. She was an outcast…just like you.”

Faith gave him a smirk. “This the part where you tell me that you understand my pain? That you know the loss and the heartache that comes with losing everything you’ve ever loved? Is this where I’m supposed to turn on my bud here and cast my hat in with you?”

“I don’t know Faith,” Holtz said. “Is it?”

“Not so much, no.” Faith offered. “I gotta admit, I’m not exactly sure what it is about you that scares Angel so much.”

“I scare him because he knows what I want. And he knows what I’m willing to do to get it.”

“That’s the problem.” Faith said, crossing her arms. “You want his kid. Can’t allow that to happen.”

“You’re a vampire slayer. You don’t find it odd that you’re protecting a vampire?”

“Given that, that vampire is the only one that never gave up on me when shit got bad? No. It’s not odd at all.”

“Can we just skip past the talkin’ and take his ass out?” Gunn asked.

“You can try,” Holtz said, smiling.

“Gunn, don’t!” Faith snapped, but the big man was already in motion.

Gunn came forward with a right cross leading. Holtz, despite his obviously advanced years, moved like a snake. He stayed where he was and simply dipped beneath the strike. He loosed hard jab to Gunn’s ribs, doubling him over. Holtz then drove a knee up into Charles’ face throwing him backward to the ground. “You are angry and you fight as such. And you telegraph your punches quite badly.” He delivered a hard boot to Gunn’s ribs. “Pathetic.”

Faith helped the man to his feet. “I told you not to rush him.” Faith looked at Holtz. “A guy stands there smiling even though he knows he’s going head to head with a slayer, chances are he’s done something to earn it.”

“My mistake,” Charles said, rubbing his chest. “Hell of a punch.”

“I know why you want Angel dead.” Faith said, moving closer to him. “It’s because he took everything from you, isn’t it?”

“It is your turn to play to my humanity?” Holtz asked her. “Are you going to plead for Angel’s safety? Get me to abandon my quest for revenge?”

“Nope.” Faith said. “You see, I just spent the last couple years in prison. While I was on the inside, my shrink…”

“Your what?” He asked.

“Psychiatrist. She got me to admit a lot of my own mistakes.” Faith looked into his eyes. “I just think it’s high time you did the same.”

He was genuinely confused by the statement. “And what mistakes are those?”

“Getting your family killed.” Faith said.

“Angelus and Darla killed my family.” He said, anger seeping into his voice. “They stole into my home when I was away. They raped and murdered my wife, they killed my infant son and turned my daughter. I had to slay her with my own hands.”

“And if you hadn’t chased them all over creation…” Faith cocked her head. “Would they have come after you?” She shook her head. “You had a family to protect. Seems to me you liked being a vampire hunter more than you loved your family.” She saw him move and knew she’d struck a nerve. His fist arced in, taking her across the jaw. She could have easily dodged the blow, but she didn’t, she accepted it as part of her plan. “What happened? Did I strike a nerve, Holtz?”

“You know nothing.” He snapped. “I did what any man with the skills would do. I protected people.”

“At the cost of your family. Apparently, their lives were the least important of anyone’s.” He gripped her shirt and again punched her across the face. She looked back at him. She made no move to defend herself. “You made enemies of two of the most dangerous vampires in the world. You knew what they were capable of.” Again, her face was rocked to the side.

“Shut up!” He shouted at her.

Blood dripped down her chin. “You chose to go after them, knowing what they were. What kind of sadistic games they were capable of playing.” She grinned. “Get right down to it, Holtz, you put your family’s heads on the chopping block.” As his fist raced in, she caught it in her hand. “You played the game…and lost.” She stiff armed him in the chest, throwing him backward over the table. He hit the dirt hard. Faith moved around the table. “From where I’m sitting, chief, you wanna find the true reason you lost your family…you need to look a little closer to home.”

Charles watched the display and wanted desperately to help Faith as she began her mind game. But as she spoke, he was floored. He didn’t peg her for being this…psychological. It was obvious that Holtz’ family was a sore spot. But Faith didn’t use them, per se. She used his failure to protect them. And what made it worse was that…she was right. She was pointing out every flaw in his mad scramble to pursue Darla and Angel. She was making him doubt everything. And it showed.

Holtz growled and ran at her, rage fueling his actions. His thick fists came in fast. Faith moved with a speed that Holtz couldn’t hope to match. “You speak as though you were there. You didn’t have to see. You have no idea what it’s like to see the one you love fall to pieces because you weren’t strong enough to save them.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, pal.” She caught his hands and turned, throwing him onto the floor. “First person I ever met that gave a damn about me got literally torn apart while she was still alive by a vampire so powerful, he made other vampires afraid of him. And I watched it happen.”

He rose to his feet. “Did you destroy him?” He stopped fighting and stared her down.

“Sure as shit, I did.” Faith said. “But unlike you? I didn’t go looking for him. He came looking for me. You were the one that woke that dragon, Holtz. If you’d have left Darla and Angel alone, they wouldn’t have known you existed. But you had to be a badass. You had to make a name for yourself.”

“They were monsters. Demons that needed slaying.”

“Yeah, back then, they were. But were you the only vampire hunter out there? You had something to live for. Something to lose. That’s how Darla and Angel played their game. You being pissed off at them is like being mad at a bear for eating you, because you stood at the mouth of his cave and threw rocks at him.” She shook her head. “They may have been the ones that killed your family…” She pointed at him. “But you’re the one that led them there.”

He stared into her eyes. “Is this where I repent my ways and offer a truce? Live and let live?”

“Nope.” Faith said, cracking her knuckles. “You’re too stubborn for that. You’ve been guided by a single-minded need for vengeance for so long that you don’t know any other way. You’re gonna keep going after him because that’s all you know how to do.” She sighed and began bobbing on her feet. “I can’t allow you to do that.”

“You’re a vampire slayer. You don’t kill humans.” Holtz said, simply.

“Exceptions to every rule, Hoss.” Faith said to him. “But, however, this goes down, I know that I got into your head. You’re realizing that you’re not as right as you thought you were. You’re at the very least understanding that you weren’t the husband and father you thought you were. When you do die, if that’s what you really want, then at least you’ll die knowing that you made a mistake. You kicked the hornet’s nest, now you have to live with it.”

“You are right.” He said, pulling his coat off. He drew out the sword he carried under his trench. “It is too late for bargains.”

Faith took the sword that Gunn handed her. “For what it’s worth, I understand how you feel. I don’t blame ya. Neither does Angel. You and me…we had the same job. But with me, it was never about making the vampires suffer. It was just about takin’ ‘em out. No hard feelings.”

He didn’t spare any more words. He simply rushed at her, his blade leading…

 

Linwood Murrow sat back in the chair in the boardroom and stared at the static filled screen on the wall. “Is there a reason I’m not seeing anything?”

Both Lilah Morgan and her associate, Gavin Park looked at each other, not really knowing what to say. “We’ve consulted with the technical department,” Lilah said, looking back at her superior. “The entire mainframe has been compromised. It’s going to take some time to reestablish a connection.”

“Anyone care to tell me how this happened?” Linwood asked, turning toward the pair. “Care to inform me of how a multi-billion dollar network was _crippled_  by a girl with a laptop?”

“We’re trying to get what information we can on her, sir,” Gavin said.

Lilah lifted her notepad. “Rosenberg, Willow. Twenty years of age. Attends University of California, Sunnydale.” She looked at him. “She was best friends with Buffy Summers until her death six months ago. She’s also apparently very close to the current active slayer Faith Lehane.”

Linwood stared at the woman. “Correct me if I’m wrong but was it not  _your_  actions that freed the slayer from her incarceration?” He asked, angrily.

“It was, sir,” Lilah said, swallowing. “But there wasn’t any choice. The client that requested her release had Senior Partner override authority. They wanted her released.”

He sighed and fell back to his seat. “Wonderful. So the largest law firm on earth just got our butts handed to us by this pathetic group of misfits.” He shook his head. “Unbelievable. What about Holtz?”

Gavin shook his head. “No reports yet that he was among those at the hotel.”

Linwood sighed. “I was hoping he’d be among the casualties. What do we know about him?”

Lilah sat down and opened a file folder. “He is a vampire hunter. Angel killed his family and he spent the rest of his life seeking revenge. Oh, and one more thing, this all happened two hundred years ago.”

Linwood raised an eyebrow. “I thought Holtz was human.”

She nodded. “He is.”

The old man raised an eyebrow. “A time traveler.” He said, whimsically.

Gavin shrugged. “His arrival was foretold in the Nyazian Scrolls. He is a player.”

Linwood leaned back in his chair, nodding. “Yeah. He’s a cog in the machine, and aren’t we all.” He looked at the pair. “What do you suppose it is that he wants?”

Lilah smirked. “You mean other than to tear out Angel’s heart and wear it as a broach?”

Linwood leaned forward. “We need more information. How he got here, who he works with, where he lives. It’s only a matter of time before our needs and his come into conflict.”

Suddenly an alarm sounded through the room.

“Maybe sooner than we think.” Linwood offered, as the doors of the room flew open.

Faith, flanked by a rather attractive petite blonde girl stormed in. The blonde stayed by the door as the brunette walked straight up to Linwood, tossing a large sack onto the table as she did so. With lightning speed, she whipped her knife out and sliced him across the cheek and slammed him face down on the table. “Angel’s son has a tiny scratch on his cheek, and now, by extraordinary coincidence so do you. I’m holding you personally responsible for  _anything_  that happens to him whether it’s your fault or not. Cold, sunburn, scratched knee, whatever happens to him…” Faith leaned down, growling in his ear. “Happens to you, and then some.” She pulled him back up and threw him back into his chair. “From now on, not only are you not coming after Angel or Connor, you’re gonna make sure that he lives a long, healthy life.” She smiled at him. It wasn’t at all pleasant. “You just became his godfather, understand?”

Linwood stared into her eyes. “I believe I do.”

Two guards came into the room in response to the alarm. Buffybot exploded into motion. She spun to the left, gripping the first guard’s head and bouncing it off the open door with enough force to crack the wood. He dropped to the floor in a boneless heap. The second guard caught a hard right hook across the teeth and was on the carpet in the blink of an eye, likewise unconscious.

Faith pointed to the sack. “Present for you. A symbol to show just how serious I am.” She turned and started to leave, but stopped. “Oh, and one more thing: College fund? Start saving. Angel’s got his heart set on Notre Dame.”

She patted the robot on the shoulder as she left. “Bye.” The blonde said, her voice bubbly.

Linwood watched the pair leave. Lilah pulled the handkerchief out of Gavin’s breast pocket and went to dab at the scratch on Linwood’s cheek. He angrily gripped the cloth and tossed it on the floor.

Gavin meanwhile pulled the black plastic trash bag closer. He opened it and sighed, drawing back.

“What is it?” Linwood asked.

Lilah looked inside and turned to Linwood. She upended it and let the contents roll out onto the table. It came to rest in front of the elder associate. Linwood Murrow sat, staring into the lifeless eyes of one Daniel Holtz. “It would seem she was rather serious.”

Linwood looked at her with a frown. “Get rid of this.” He said, turning back to the screens.

Lilah handed the bag to Gavin. “You heard the man.”

 

The doctor and a nurse, carrying the baby, walked into the waiting room with smiles on their faces. “I’m happy to report you have a healthy baby boy.” The doctor said, her voice filled with joy.

Cordy smiled. “Oh, great.” She shook her head. “But I’m not the mother.”

The woman nodded. “I’m sorry.” She turned to Fred. “I’m happy to report you have a healthy baby boy.”

The mousey brunette shook her head. “Oh, me neither.”

Willow immediately followed suit. “I’m a lesbian.” She said, waving.

Wesley stepped up. “I’m afraid the mother is, ah, no longer in the picture.”

The doctor took it all in stride. “I see. Well, his height and weight are in the ninetieth percentile. We gave him his vitamin K and his PKU and he’s doing very well. We don’t seem to have…what’s his name?”

“Connor. His name is Connor.” Angel said, stepping up with a small teddy bear.

The woman smiled and nodded. “Connor. Thank you. Mr…” She looked at the paperwork. “Angel. And congratulations.” She said as the nurse handed the boy to him.

“Thanks.” He said, grinning happily. The pair left them all to fawn over the baby. He then turned to the group. “Mr. Angel?”

“Your first name is Geraldo,” Fred said, with a grin.

Cordy shrugged. “We had to tell them something.”

Fred giggled. “Geraldo Angel. You’re a pet psychiatrist with a small practice in Pacoima.”

“Oh, and you fight crime. We just told them the name part.” Willow added. “The rest is us having fun.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Angel said, his voice shaking.

Cordy cocked her head. “How about thanks. I appreciate it. You guys rock. Way to go?”

“Come on, Cor. You know he ain’t never gonna do that.” Faith said, walking beside Buffybot and Gunn, who was pushing a stroller.

“No,” Angel said, looking at Cordelia. “What you said.” He handed Cordy the baby and she settled him down into the stroller. He then looked at Faith with a raised eyebrow. She simply nodded.

“Hey, you wanna go for a ride? Oh, goodness...” Cordy said to the boy.

Fred bit her lip. “Not to be negative or anything, but – we’re okay, right? Nobody else is coming after Connor or us?”

Faith, Angel, and Buffybot shook their heads. “No,” Angel said. “We’re safe for the time being. Let’s go home.” He looked to Gunn. “Nice stroller.”

“Thank Faith here. She ponied up the green for it.” Gunn said.

“Gotta do right for my sponsor’s kid, right?” Faith said, punching Angel in the shoulder, playfully.

Faith, Willow, and Buffybot, newly repaired climbed into the Roadrunner just after noon the next day.

Angel promised to bring the baby up to visit soon. He knew Dawn and Tara would be in seventh heaven over it. He thanked Buffybot for everything she did.

“I know you probably don’t remember this, but…”

“I remember it all, Angel.” She said, again looking at him. “I’m sorry that I had to leave you.” The robot turned and looked at Cordelia. “But you’re not alone. She can be everything for you that I was.”

“I love you, Buffy.” He said, his voice sad. He looked down at Connor. “I wish he was ours.”

She smiled and gave the baby her finger. He gave it a soft squeeze. “He’s yours.” She looked at him and pulled him down to kiss him quickly on the lips. “That’s good enough for me.” And with that, she was gone, replaced by the bubbly robot’s expression.

He sighed and hugged her. “Tell Daniel if he doesn’t treat you good, I’m gonna hunt him down and eat him.”

She grinned. “I will.” She then turned and moved to the car, leaving him staring after her.

 


	38. Chapter 38

 

Faith had her hand on the steering wheel and her arm resting on the door. She kept the speed to a reasonable seventy-five, enjoying the leisurely drive back to Sunnydale. It had been a pretty exhausting evening and lord only knew what awaited them once they got back to town.

Buffybot lay across the backseat, powered down to conserve her energy reserves.

Willow sat, staring out the window, not speaking.

Faith spared a glance at the girl and frowned. Normally, the bubbly redhead would be talking her ear off. To see her this way was just…strange. “You okay, Red?”

Willow turned toward her with tears in her eyes. “I’m mad at you.” The girl said, her voice cracking.

Faith frowned more intently. “What did I do?”

“You kissed Wesley,” Willow said, sharply. “Right in front of me.”

Faith thought a moment. “Oh, shit.” She looked at Willow. “Christ, Red I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you with that.”

“Why did you do it?” Willow asked. “If it didn’t mean anything, then why do it?”

“Because I knew it would freak him out.” Faith said. “I knew it would bother him. It was just a little bit of a mind fuck, Red. I didn’t mean it to hurt you. I would never have done it if I knew it would bother you this much.”

“It did hurt, Faith. And if Tara had seen it, it would her hurt her, too.” Willow said. “If you’re gonna be in a relationship with us, you have to consider our feelings, too.”

“I know.” Faith said. “It was wrong, I realize that now.” She cast a glance at her girlfriend. “Like I said, I’m still getting used to this being in a relationship thing, okay? I’m gonna fuck up sometimes. Just be patient with me. I’ve never had to really care about anyone else. This was all dumped on me pretty fast.”

“I suppose.”

“Look. I promise I won’t do it again. And if I do, feel free to bap me upside the head and remind me of this conversation, okay?”

“Fair enough,” Willow said. “I do have to ask one question.”

“Shoot.”

“Was he a good kisser?”

“Hell no.” Faith said. “That man can’t kiss to save his life. If I remember correctly, didn’t he and Cordy share a lip lock?”

“From what Cordelia said, he couldn’t kiss.”

“Yeah, figured.” Faith said. “I really am sorry, Willow. I would never do anything to deliberately hurt you or Tara.”

“I know you’re sorry, Faith. And I know you mean it.” She smiled at the brunette. “You said my name.”

“I do that sometimes.” Faith said. “Especially when you do this thing with your tongue when you’re down there and…”

“You can so stop now,” Willow said, blushing.

“No one here but us girls.” Faith said, grinning. “And two hundred pounds of unconscious technology.”

Willow turned and looked at the robot. Buffy looked so peaceful as she lay nestled across the seats. For all intents and purposes, she was dead to the world, but to everyone else, she looked to be sleeping and happily dreaming. “You should have seen her, Faith. She was amazing.”

“She laid it down, huh?” Faith asked, flipping her blinker to pass by an eighteen wheeler.

“Those soldiers didn’t know what hit ‘em.” Willow turned back around. “She went at them singing.”

“She was singing? You didn’t tell me that.” Faith said, laughing. “What song?  _What a Wonderful World_  or something? No.  _Girlfriend_  by Avril Lavigne.”

“Both wrong.  _Symphony of Destruction_  by Megadeth.” Willow said. “It was actually pretty funny.”

“No shit? That’s a serious piece of music. I love that song. Sorry I missed it.” Faith said, looking in the rear view mirror at the blonde. “She’s come a long way.”

“She really has,” Willow said. “And I think it’s all thanks to you.”

“Me? You’re the one that’s been maintaining her and piecing her back together.” Faith offered as she pulled into the far lane toward the exit ramp.

“Where are we going?” Willow asked.

“I’m hungry. Thought I’d stop at the truck stop and get something to eat. Forgot to grab food before we left town.” Faith looked over at Willow. “You want something?”

“I could go for some food.”

They entered the parking lot and looked for someplace suitable. “Should we wake her up?” Faith asked.

“Nah. She doesn’t really need to eat. We’ll let her sleep.” Willow said.

The girls stepped out of the car and headed for the restaurant. Faith looked over and pointed at a navy blue import. “Nice car.”

Willow looked at it and shrugged. “Looks like a typical Japanese sports car to me.”

“That’s just because you have no idea what it is.” Faith said. “That’s a Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR-4. Three hundred and twenty horsepower, she’ll do zero to sixty in five and a half seconds. Even with the horses, my rig is laying down, that’s still a second and a half faster.”

Willow simply shrugged, having no idea what the girl was talking about.

As soon as they entered they were accosted by the sounds of raucous country music. Faith immediately began swaying with the music as Willow sighed. “What’s the matter, Red? Don’t like country?”

“Not especially.” The redhead returned. “I can tolerate the stuff you listen to, but his is a little too hillbilly for my tastes.”

“Gotta learn to expand your horizons.”

A waitress by the name of Dana moved up to them, smiling. She was a touch plump but had a nice shape and a warm, matronly smile. “Good afternoon, ladies.” She said, happily. “If you wanna follow me.”

They walked along and were seated in a booth by the window. Faith smiled as she noticed she could see her car from the table. “Start you off with anything?” The woman asked.

“I’ll have a coke and my girl here will have a sprite.” Faith said. Willow smiled at her as she opened her menu. “You got any suggestions?” Faith asked her.

“We do a mean double bacon,” Dana said. “Country fried steak and meat loaf are also pretty popular.”

“Meatloaf, huh?” Faith said. “Don’t know about that. What do you guys put in it?”

“It’s actually our main cook’s recipe. Combination of ground beef and ground Italian sausage with onion, green pepper, and mushrooms, with a hint of cayenne and Worcestershire. Goes over really well. Comes with two slabs, mashed potatoes and a veg of your choice.”

“Let’s live dangerously. Gimme an order of that and that country fried steak. I’ll take broccoli if you got it.” Faith said, setting the menu down. If the amount she was ordering surprised the waitress, she showed no sign of it.

“What about you, sweetie? Need a couple minutes?”

Willow perused the menu quickly and shook her head. “No. I’ll take this yummy looking club sandwich here. Can I get that with light mayo?”

“You want us just to bring you a little bit on the side?” Dana asked as she scribbled the order down.

“That would be wonderful,” Willow said smiling.

“Pardon me for askin’, but you two a couple?”

Faith nodded happily. “Sure enough.”

“Figured,” Dana said, taking the menus. “Smile like that, I’d be gay, too. I’ll be right back with those drinks.”

Willow blushed as she walked off. Faith chuckled and began playing with the table display. Dana was back quickly with two glasses. “There you are, ladies. Food should be up in just a few.”

“Thank you,” Willow said, taking her straw. She pulled the paper off the end and put it up to her lips, blowing the remainder of her wrapper off at Faith. The projectile caught the brunette in her lip, causing her to start. Willow giggled and went back to her drink.

Faith likewise snickered and took a large drink off her soda. “So how did you manage to get Ted rebuilt?”

“Actually, he wasn’t really damaged all that badly. All Buffy did when she hit him with that frying pan was sever the connection between his mobility sensors and his chassis. Once I managed to get that repaired, after I connected in and wiped his programming, it was just a simple matter of cosmetics.”

“So double B is more advanced?” Faith asked.

“Oh yeah. By quite a bit. Ted was originally 1950’s technology. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he was advanced as it got for the time, but compared to Buffybot…you know, there really was no comparison.”

“Any idea if you can fix what she did to him?” Faith asked.

“No,” Willow said, sadly. “She busted him up beyond anything I have the ability to fix. I mean, if it was just the head, sure, but she did a serious number on him. His frame and internals are shot. I did the best I could with him and harvested his parts to repair her.”

Faith took Willow’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Sorry.” She said a heartbeat before Dana set their plates down.

“Enjoy, ladies.” She said, taking the empty glasses and bringing back fresh. “If you need anything just let me know.”

“Thank you,” Willow said, spreading her preferred amount of mayo on her sandwich.

Faith tucked into her meatloaf. “You know, this isn’t bad. Little soft, but other than that…”

Willow took a bite of her sandwich and smiled. “It’s good.” She said with a full mouth.

Faith giggled and enjoyed her company. They ate their food and chatted idly. It was a beautiful day and the pair saw no reason to hurry to get home.

Dana came by the table regularly to fill their drinks. Finally, after the pair had cleaned their plates, she dropped off the check. Faith was shocked to see that, for everything they ordered, it came to less than thirty dollars. “Not bad.” She said, pulling a fifty out of her wallet. “Keep the change.” Faith offered with a smile.

“Thanks, hon,” Dana said, happily. “You two girls…” She furrowed her brow as she looked outside. “Isn’t that y’all’s Roadrunner?”

Faith whipped around to see the doors open and shut quickly. “Motherfucker!” She snapped, getting up and running for the door. Willow kept pace behind her. Just as she got to the parking lot, the car raced off toward the street. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me. I just got it rebuilt!”

“We could report it to the police.” Willow offered.

“You’re in luck then.” A calm female voice said from behind them. A small Asian woman, a few inches shorter than Faith, dressed in a pair of cargo pants and a white tank top walked past them. She pulled her wallet out and flashed it. “You just did.” She said heading for the Mitsubishi. “Come on. I can catch ‘em.”

Faith grinned and trotted up beside her. “You’re a cop?”

“Detective Miko Finnegan, Ventura County Sheriff Department.” She looked at Faith. “My husband is Irish.”

The brunette giggled. “Awesome. But that Roadrunner’s laying down almost six hundred horses.”

“Nine hundred and forty-six.” The girl said. “Not even gonna break a sweat. I originally set this rig up for our ‘Beat the Heat’ program. Did all the work myself.” She opened the passenger door and flipped the seat forward.

Willow climbed into the back. “Thanks for doing this.”

“Not a problem. It’s what I live for.” Miko pushed the seat back and moved around to driver’s side while Faith climbed in and belted up. The girl slid in and calmly turned her radio on. She picked up the mic. “This is unit four eight. I’m in high-speed pursuit of a matte black 1972 Plymouth Roadrunner, custom license plate F-A-I-T-H dash one. Two suspects in the car.”

“And our friend is asleep in the backseat,” Willow added.

“Update. Unconscious civilian in the backseat. Suspects may have a hostage. Repeat, suspects may have a hostage.”

“Got you, Miko. You need backup?” A male voice sounded out.

“Where’s Terry and John?” Miko asked, firing the car up.

“I’ll get ‘em on route. They’re both about five minutes from you.”

“Thanks, Jack,” Miko said, slamming the shifter back and racing out of the parking lot. She bounced out onto the street and headed south. The direction they’d both seen the car head.

“I swear to god if they break my car, I’m gonna be so pissed.” Faith said, hanging on.

Miko smiled and hit the ratchet shifter again and again. She blew past traffic quickly accelerating. “Don’t worry. We’ll get ‘em.” The built to hilt V-6 engine screamed as the car hit triple digit speeds.

Willow sat in the cramped rear seat, praying that the car-jackers didn’t find the blonde robot in the backseat.

 

“This is a nice car.” The man behind the wheel said, smiling. “Tony’s gonna love it.”

“Hell yeah, he is.” His passenger said, nodding. He looked around the inside and turned to the backseat. “Oh, fuck.” Passenger snapped. “There’s a fuckin’ chick in the back.”

Driver adjusted the rear view mirror. “Holy shit, man.” He stared at her a moment. “Oh, fuck, dude. She ain’t breathin’.”

Passenger reached back and shook her. “Hey, wake up, lady.” When he didn’t get a response, he turned to the driver. “What do we do, man? Chick’s fuckin’ dead.”

“Alright, gimme a second.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Throw her out.” He said, turning to the Passenger.

“What? Fuck you, man.”

“Look, we get caught with the car, it’s only GTA, but I do not wanna be found in a car with a fuckin’ dead body in it, alright? Now get back there, grab that bitch and push her ass out.”

Passenger sighed. “Man, this is so fucked up.” He released his seat belt and climbed into the back. “Just hold this fuckin’ thing steady, man.”

Driver kept the speed at the speed limit, not wanting to attract any undue attention.

Passenger managed to get into the back and tried moving the girl. “Christ, this bitch is heavy. What do you, main line Cheez Whiz?” He said, grunting. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck to get her in a sitting position. He felt his fingers slip into some sort of depression. “What the?”

“Who are you?” The girl asked, happily. “And what are you doing in my friend’s car?”

 

Miko kept the hammer down, whipping through traffic like a Nascar racer. “There she is.” She said, smiling. “Told you we’d catch ‘em.”

“Get along side.” Faith said. “I’ll jump over and get inside.”

“What are you insane?” The Detective said, looking at her incredulously. “You’re not jumping from a high-speed car  _onto_  another high-speed car.”

“Why not?” Faith asked, really not understanding the problem.

“One, because it’s dangerous. Two, because it’s actually illegal as hell and three…just no.” She said, shaking her head.

“It’s illegal?” Faith asked. “I didn’t know that.”

“I would think it would be rather obvious,” Miko said.

“You’d think.” Faith said. Willow actually chuckled in the back seat. “So what are we gonna do?”

“Well…” Miko said, thinking. “We can’t spike strip them. Tires blow, the guy overcorrects and flips it. Good chance of totaling the car and rolling it. If your friend is asleep in the back, that could kill her.”

Faith and Willow didn’t bother to mention that Buffy would more than likely survive the wreck. What with being a robot and all.

“And if we pit them, the same thing may happen.”

“Exactly. So me jumping onto the car would be the best bet. Now if you get alongside…”

“I’m not going to let you do that. So stop suggesting it.” She stared at the girl. “I don’t care how fun it sounds.”

Willow grinned. “No, Faith is right. You need to get alongside. I need to be able to see the driver.”

“What are you gonna do?” Miko asked.

“Trust me,” Willow said, smiling. “You’re gonna love this.”

“Um…” Faith said, watching the car. “What the hell is…oh no.” She said as she saw the blonde sit up in the backseat. “I think our problem is going to be solved very shortly.”

 

Buffybot gripped Passenger’s throat and slammed him back against the roof of the car, knocking him unconscious. She pushed him aside and sat up. “Stop the car, please.”

“What the fuck?” Driver said, looking at her. “You were dead.”

“I was not. I was simply powered down. But this person activated me. Now please stop the car.”

He pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it at her.

She quickly gripped his wrist and broke his arm. “I said stop the car. But you wouldn’t listen.” Buffy pulled him into the backseat by his injured limb, causing him to scream. The car swerved as she did so. She slammed her elbow into his face and quickly climbed up into the driver’s seat. She looked about and sighed. “I don’t know how to drive.” She kept her hands on the wheel and immediately accessed the internet searching for a video tutorial of how to slow down and break. She immediately mimicked the video, pulling off to the side of the highway onto the shoulder.

Once she was stopped, she pulled the seat forward and dragged both men from the car and threw them onto the pavement.

The blue Mitsubishi quickly drove up behind. Faith climbed out as Miko followed suit. She had her gun drawn as she approached the car. “Are you alright, ma’am?” She asked.

“I’m fine,” Buffybot said. “They didn’t hurt me.”

At that moment, a Ventura County Highway Patrol car pulled up behind the Detective’s car. “Hey, Miko,” Terry said. “Making friends again, I see.” He was a tall blonde man with shoulder length hair and a very charming smile. He and the Detective went about arresting the carjackers as Willow and Faith fretted over Buffybot.

The blonde provided a statement, describing in excruciating detail everything that happened. Knowing that the officers would never believe she was a robot, she simply said that she was a heavy sleeper and didn’t wake until they were manhandling her to throw her out of the car.

At the end of the day Passenger, revealed to be one James Mackey was charged with Grand Theft Auto and attempted murder. The driver, Austin Williams, was charged with Grand Theft Auto and conspiracy to commit murder.

Both Faith and Buffy wished to press charges. Austin wanted desperately to press charges for Buffy breaking his arm, but Miko simply chalked it up to a bad fall getting out of the car and left it at that.

Faith, Willow, and Buffy were allowed to be on their way and headed for home. All of them had people they loved waiting for them.

 


	39. Chapter 39

Warren sighed as he and Andrew followed along behind Jonathan. “I thought you said you know where this guy lives.” He said, exasperated.

“Look, it’s magically cloaked, okay? And he moves around every night.” Jonathan said, walking slowly through the dingy alleyway.

“That’s cool,” Andrew said. “We should look into something like that for our hideout.”

Warren turned and looked at him. “What are you in elementary school? We’re not little kids playing Power Rangers in the back yard. We’re supervillains. And we don’t have a  _hideout_ , we have a  _lair_.”

“Sorry,” Andrew said. “Still kinda getting used to it. Though, to be fair, we haven’t done much that’s…villain-y in a while.”

“I’m still working on the invisibility ray. But I’ve also got a couple of plans cooking. Don’t you worry, I’ll make sure and fill the villain quota here shortly. Right now, I’m just lulling the girls into a false sense of security.”

“It’s here,” Jonathan said, turning the guys. “It’s right here.”

Warren and Andrew looked around. All they saw was a trash-strewn alleyway. “I don’t see anything,” Warren said.

Jonathan motioned for them to follow and took a step, disappearing from sight. “Whoa,” Andrew said, stepping up and reaching out with his arm. It slowly vanished. “That’s so cool.” He moved his arm in and out of the field, giggling.

“Come on,” Warren said, pushing him through and stepping in behind him. They arrived in a dimly lit waiting room that looked every bit the drug pusher den. “I thought you said this guy deals in magic. The only thing I see us getting by being in this room is gonorrhea.”

“Ew. That’s gross.” Andrew said. “Now I’m not sitting down.”

“Shut up, guys,” Jonathan said, moving over to knock on the door.

“Hey, wait your turn.” One strung out looking boy said. He tried to get to his feet but staggered and fell back to the sofa.

“Have another hit there, Belushi,” Warren said, shaking his head.

The door opened to reveal the man they’d all come to see. Jonathan moved to speak, but Warren shoved him aside. “We need to talk.” He said, lifting a roll of cash. “And I’ve got a stack of dead presidents that says we get to do it right now.”

Rack smiled and motioned them inside. “Whatever you say.”

The three stepped into the room and looked around. It was rather comfortable looking if a little on the shabby side.

Rack walked around them. “How did you find me?”

“We’re the Trio,” Warren said, nodding. “Yeah, you’ve heard of us.”

Rack shrugged, looking at them. “Right. What were you, a band or something?”

Warren rubbed his face. “I thought word traveled in the underworld.”

Rack lifted his hand to stop Warren. He stared directly at Jonathan. “You.” He said, nodding. “I’ve heard of you. Little boy, playing with matches. You laid down a good ritual a couple years ago. Had the whole town thinking you were the new big player.” He looked him up and down. “Not a bad piece of work for a kid like you.” Jonathan looked pleased. Rack then turned to Andrew. “And you. Word on the street is demon summoning runs in the family. Your older brother Tucker tried axing the slayer with Hell Hounds. Stupid move, given how pathetically weak a Hell Hound is. But a noble effort.” He finally looked at Warren. “I got no idea who you are.”

“Really?” Warren said. He was furious. “You know who…Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber are here, but you have no idea who I am?” He slapped his chest. “I’m the leader of the Trio, man. Robots were my thing.” Rack just stared at him. “You didn’t hear about the freeze ray?”

Rack smiled and shook his head. He had heard about it. In fact, he knew exactly who all three of these boys were. It was more entertainment than anything else. He wasn’t lying when he said that he knew both Jonathan and Andrew. As a budding Warlock and a demon summoner, they were a part of the supernatural community. Warren, being a tech genius, never really ranked. The only reason Rack did know who he was, was because he actually owned a television and did occasionally watch the news. He was fully aware of the rampaging April a year back and the creation of the Buffybot. After seeing the story of the security guard getting frozen as he was, it didn’t take an exceptionally gifted mind to put two and two together. He knew Warren was the one responsible before the broadcast ended.

Watching the boy get flustered at being rated lower in the reputation department than his cronies was just another small joy Rack was able to derive from the angry inventor. “Sorry.” He said, smiling. “So what do you want?”

“We need you to make something for us,” Jonathan said. “A…a friend from my, my support group said you could make, like, magic items and stuff.” He pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket. “Here.”

Rack took it and read the directions. “What did you download this off the internet or something?”

“Look,” Warren said. “I thought this was a cash for service gig, not an interview process, alright? Now can you make it or not?”

Rack turned and looked at him. “Anyone ever tell you that you need to calm down?” He looked back to the paper. “Yeah. I can make this for you.” He held out his hand. “Cash for service gig.” He said, smiling. “Might take me a couple of hours.”

Warren slapped the money into his hand. “Just make sure it works.”

Rack looked at him and smiled. “Just want you boys to understand…” He chuckled. “You’re playing with forces you can’t possibly comprehend.”

“You do what we pay you to do. We’ll worry about comprehension.” Warren snapped.

“Suit yourself.” Rack said, moving over to a large credenza.

“Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dumber?” Andrew said, pushing him. “That was mean.”

Warren just looked at him. “That’s like everyone knowing who Nightwing and Robin are, but having no idea who Batman is.”

“I’m Nightwing.” Andrew said, smiling.

“No, you’re not. You’re Robin.” Jonathan said.

“Nuh Uh, I’m taller.” Andrew said. “And older.”

Warren just closed his eyes and shook his head. “Someone kill me.”

Rack turned and looked at him before going back to his work. “Oh, you won’t have to wait long for that.” He said to himself.

 

Amy stood on the sidewalk and watched as the carpenters worked on the large house. She didn’t understand what had happened. She walked up to one of the men milling about. “Excuse me.” She said, softly.

He was a rather burly Hispanic man. “What’s up?” He said, giving her a charming smile.

“I was just wondering what happened here?” She said. “An old friend of mine lives here.”

“Not sure. Probably a wild party or something. Folks that lived here are stayin’ somewhere else while we do the work.”

“Do you know where they’re staying?” She asked him.

“No clue.” He said.

“Alright. Thanks.” She said, turning and heading off. She wasn’t sure where to even start. She stopped a moment and nodded, heading toward the Magic Box. She had a very bad feeling about what had happened. She came around the corner and saw the shop in full swing. She walked up and opened the door stepping inside.

Anya looked at her and immediately frowned. “What are you doing here?” She snapped. “Are you going to take our memories away and try to, I don’t know, rob us?”

Amy sighed and moved closer. “I understand you guys are mad. I don’t blame you. I’d be furious, too. I really didn’t intend for anyone to get hurt. I just…”

Anya continued to stare at her. “You just thought you’d take away Willow’s choice to love who she wanted and to be happy.” She gave her a smirk. “Don’t get me wrong it was a great spell and a genuinely good plan. A little lacking in the imagination department, but it wasn’t bad. You’d have made a pretty good vengeance demon.”

Amy looked at her. “You’re not mad?”

“Well, of course, I’m mad. You had me believing Giles and I were married.” She shuddered. “Ugh.”

“I was wondering if Willow was here.”

“No. She and Faith went down to Los Angeles yesterday. They’re not back yet.”

“What did they go to LA for if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Buffybot got damaged fighting with Ted. You should see what they did to the house.” Anya offered, going back to work.

“Ted?” Amy asked, confusion plainly written across her face. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

“Apparently he was a robot that was built in the fifties. He was homicidal and married women and killed them, hiding them in his basement. Willow managed to get him repaired. Someone did something to Buffybot’s programming and had her hunt down her and Dawn.”

Amy was suddenly furious. “Are they okay?”

“Ted was able to hold Buffy off long enough for them to shut her down.” Anya said. “She’d taken quite a bit of damage in the fight. Faith and Willow had a friend in LA that could help. They went down to get her fixed. They should be back in a little while. They were just staying overnight.”

“Where are Dawn and Tara staying?” Amy asked.

Anya looked at her. “I’m not going to tell you that. They asked me not to tell anyone, no matter who they were.”

Amy took the news in stride. “Can you do me a favor? I don’t have any of their cell phone numbers. Can you call them and have them meet me here when Faith and Willow get back?” She jotted her cell number down. “This is my number. I need to go and talk to someone, but I want everyone here when I tell them.”

Anya nodded. “Okay.” She smiled. “Have a nice day. Do come again.”

Amy turned on her heel and left the shop, heading for the Trio’s Secret Lair. She had something she had to iron out. She made a pit stop by her house and gathered a few ingredients. If things went south, she wanted to be ready.

Warren sat at the desk, typing on his laptop. Jonathan and Andrew sat in a pair of bean bag chairs playing a first-person shooter video game.

They all started with the door to the blonde boy’s basement blasted open. Amy trotted down the stairs and glared at Warren. “You son of a bitch.” She said to him. She gestured and spun him around to look at her. “I told you to leave Willow and Dawn alone. Now I hear you sent Buffybot after them?” She stormed over to him. “Give me one good reason why I don’t spread your ass all over this basement.”

He stared at her, completely unafraid. He rose to his feet. “First, I don’t take orders from you. Second?” He quickly latched a bracelet around her left wrist. “You take orders from me.”

She looked at the bracelet and back to him. “You really think your little trinket is going to protect you from me?” She drew upon her power and gestured…and was hurled across the room to crash into the wall. She slid limply to the ground. She looked at the silver band again, shocked.

“Jonathan has a friend that’s far more powerful than you. He made that little baby for us. Every time you try to use your magic to harm us in any way…or if I’m feeling particularly mean-spirited in which case it’s any magic at all. Any spell you cast will be immediately reflected back on you.”

She took hold of it, intending to rip it off. As she pulled, excruciating pain wracked her entire body, causing her to scream. It felt like her limbs were on fire. She curled into a fetal position, sobbing.

He moved over and knelt beside her. “No on fucks with me. No one threatens me.” He gripped her hair and lifted her from the floor. “I run this show. Not you, not them. Me.” He pushed her toward the door. “Now get out of her until I need you.”

“I swear to god, you’ll pay for this.” Amy said. “I’ll find a way to get this thing off. And when I…” She was again wracked with pain.

“I told you I don’t like people threatening me.” Warren said. “Too much of that and you’re body will paralyze itself, resulting in total Locked-in Syndrome.” He smiled. “Won’t be much use to me then, will you? And if you’re of no use I don’t have any reason to keep you around.”

She stared at him then slowly crawled up the stairs to the lawn. She drew a few deep breaths and rose shakily to her feet. She staggered to a nearby tree and leaned against it, letting the pain subside. She examined the bracelet. It was a simple solid band with archaic runes cast about it. She had no idea what they said. She needed an expert. She moved slowly, fighting the cramps that were threatening her mobility. “Damn you, Warren.” She said, her voice tight.

“You know she’s gonna go straight to the Magic Box.” Andrew said, nervously.

“Yeah, I know.” Warren said, leaning back in the chair. “That’s exactly what I want her to do.”

“Um…” Jonathan looked at Andrew and back to Warren. “Why?”

Warren turned and pulled a small wooden box out of the desk drawer and lifted the lid, revealing a sizable crystal ball. “Because of this.” He said, lifting out and setting it on the desk. “This is directly linked to the bracelet. This will show us everything.” He looked at them. “A supernatural Wifi camera, if you will, gentlemen.”

“Where did you get this?” Jonathan asked, leaning down to look at it. He could see the surrounding streets and the jerking motion with which the girl walked.

“That friend of yours threw this in for free. He said it sounds like fun.” Warren said. “Never let it be said that the trio didn’t have some power, huh boys?”

Jonathan and Andrew both smiled along with him. As much as they didn’t like the guy, they couldn’t fault that Warren was definitely the brains of the operation.

“What’ll happen if she tried to remove the bracelet magically?” Andrew asked.

“From what Jonathan’s friend told me, she can’t. Amy isn’t powerful enough.”

“What about Willow?” Jonathan asked. “She’s like, uber-witch now. She could get it off.” Andrew snickered. “Shut up.” He said to the blonde.

Warren just grinned. “She’s not  _that_  powerful. A super-powered Warlock is more than a match for a teenage witch with impulse issues.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t worry about that. Besides that, we know how Faith thinks. She’s the real threat. She isn’t gonna care what happened to Amy. She’s just gonna throw her to the wolves. Faith will see what we did as just desserts for siding with us in the first place.” He grinned. “All a part of my master plan.”

The other two looked at each other. They then turned back to him. “So…your plan wasn’t to turn Amy against them, it was to turn them against her?” Jonathan asked.

“Precisely. See, when Amy first got turned back into a human, I figured she’d be a little unstable. Being a rat for two and a half years will do that. I never imagined she’d try what she did. That was genius. It also laid the groundwork. She broke their trust and they tossed her aside. No offense to you Jonathan, but we need a little extra magical oomph if we’re gonna get to the next level of villainy here.” The boy shook his head, indicating that he had no hard feelings. “That’s when it hit me. When I went to Amy to recruit her, I knew she’d say yes. She was angry and bitter. I just needed to ignite that passion into direction and action. Willow and Tara are, honestly, pretty forgiving people. Even after throwing her support in with us, they’d be willing to give her a second chance. Faith won’t. Amy was the catalyst to putting her girlfriends and Dawn’s lives in danger. She’s gonna tell Amy to take a flying leap. See, Faith is just about the most  _unforgiving_  person I’ve ever seen.” Warren smiled evilly. “The result, gentlemen, is Amy being forced to understand that she has no choice but to do what we say. He who controls the bracelet controls the witch and all her power.”

“That’s brilliant.” Andrew said. “We couldn’t have come up with that.”

“Lex Luthor over here.” Warren said, grinning.

 

Amy, in fact, did go to the Magic Box. She stood across the street, staring at the front of the building. She thought about going in. She desperately wanted to. Giles was the smartest man she knew. He had gray matter that was beyond anything she’d ever seen before.

Despite what she’d done, he’d be willing to help her. Willow and Tara wouldn’t turn her away. Dawn had risked her life for the girl. Without any thought toward her own safety, she attacked a demon head on to save Amy’s life.

Anya…was Anya. She already seemed well on her way to forgiveness. Xander, of course, would be a problem, but only until Willow and Anya both reined him in. Then he would simply do what they did.

No, she knew, deep down, the reason she stayed her hand and didn’t enter the magic shop. She knew the truth of it. Like Warren, Amy knew, once she found out that Amy had cast her lot in with the trio, that Faith would only laugh and tell her that she deserved what she got.

Faith was all about Karma these days. Amy screwed up. She screwed them over, now she was being screwed over in turn. She made them dance about like puppets in her macabre fantasy, now she was the one being controlled. The slayer would think it wonderfully ironic.

Sadly, Amy couldn’t fault the slayer one bit for how she felt. Strangely, she felt she  _was_  deserving of what was happening to her. She dared to rail against everything her mind told her. Her bitterness and anger blinded her from the truth. And when Warren came to her home, against all better judgment, she began working with him.

Now, here she stood, a victim of the very man that promised to be her means to get revenge for her wounded pride.

Thus, she knew that seeking them out for help wouldn’t prove fruitful. The thought made her weep. She sighed and leaned against the wall, trying to think.

It came to her in a flash. Giles wasn’t the only man in town that knew the ins and outs of the magical world. She knew one other mage in the city that might be able to assist her. She was, however, terrified of what he would require of her in return. He was all about equivalent exchange, this man. That isn’t what scared her.

What truly scared Amy is that his idea of equivalence and those of normal people weren’t always in agreement. But she didn’t see that she had any kind of a choice. She moved along, her body sore and stiff to a dimly lit alleyway. She could feel the powerful magic that cloaked the location.

With a deep breath, she stepped through the barrier, into the dingy waiting room. Blessedly, it was currently empty. She strode across the room and knocked lightly on the door. She waited patiently. Her muscles would spasm periodically, causing her to whimper in pain.

Finally, the door opened to reveal a tall man with a scar on his face and greasy black hair. “Amy. Been a long time.” He said, stepping aside to let her in. “You look like you’ve seen better days.”

She trod inside and sat on the sofa, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “I need your help, Rack.” She said, softly.

He chuckled. “I can see that.” He paced around the room.

“Things have been a bit…difficult for me for the past couple of years.”

“You were a rat.” He said, matter of fact.

“How did you know?” She asked, surprised.

He ignored her as he continued to pace. “I hope that taught you not to mess with spells you can’t handle. You should leave that in the hands of a professional.” He stopped and looked at her. “What do you want?”

She held her wrist up. “This bracelet. I need you to take it off, somehow.”

“Why?” He asked, grinning. “It’s rather fetching if I do say so myself.”

She dropped her hand and stared at him, incredulous. “You made this for Jonathan.”

“It wasn’t Jonathan that paid me for it.” Rack said. “Why would I help you?”

“Because we go back. My mom and I were clients of yours for a long time. I protected you when the town went Witch crazy.” Amy said. “You owe me.”

“I don’t owe you shit.” He said to her. “How do you think, exactly, you protected me? By not ratting me out?” He chuckled at his own joke. “Seriously. Do you think any of these local rubes would have been able to find me, even if they did know I existed?” He shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve been operating in this town for over a decade and even our beloved Mayor Wilkins didn’t know about me. The Master, that mutant Nosferatu wannabe couldn’t figure it out.” He shook his head. “Nice try.”

She leaned back on the sofa. “I’m just…I don’t wanna be controlled like this.”

“How  _would_  you like to be controlled?” He asked, smirking. He moved over and sat on the arm of the sofa opposite her.

“You’re strong Rack. You have a lot of magic, a lot of power. I’m no slouch, even you have to admit that.” He gave her an agreeing nod. “But to be a tool for someone like Warren? Can you imagine a worse fate?”

He shrugged. “I’ve been around a while, kid.” He let the statement hang. “But Warren came to me in good faith with a lot of money. What kind of man would I be if I turned around and undid all of my client’s hard work?”

“Given that my mother and I have been coming to you since you got to town means absolutely nothing to you, don’t act like you have a sense of morality, Rack. You’re for sale. The only thing you’re loyal to is power and money.”

He looked her up and down. “Neither of which you have.” He said to her. “Right now, you’re so terrified of using your spells that you have it locked away in an iron box in your head. And I’m betting you ain’t got enough on you to buy a cup a coffee. So what exactly can you offer me to remove that thing?”

“I don’t know.” Amy said, tears flowing from her eyes. “I just don’t wanna be used like this.” She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. “I screwed up so badly.”

“The memory spell.” He said, nodding. “I felt it. The whole magical underworld felt that. That was powerful magic you unleashed. I was a little impressed.”

“I…I can get money. If that’s what you need, I’ll pay anything…” She began.

“No. Not money.” He said. “Something better.”

She looked at him with fear in her eyes. “What?”

“Just a few…favors.” He said. “Girl like you could be useful.”

“So I trade one puppet master for another?” She asked.

“Look at it this way. With me? You got a limited internship. You help me out till your debt is square. I’m not gonna keep you on a leash until I get tired of you. I respect what you’ve done. I respect what you can do. Warren won’t. We both know that.” He sighed and got to his feet. “But if you’re a fan of bling instead…”

“No.” She said sad resignation in her voice. “I just want this damn thing off.” She was again wracked with excruciating pain. She fell onto the floor, curling into a ball.

Rack chuckled. “Way to drive home the point, Warren.” He said, stepping over to her. He reached for the bracelet, his hands crackling with blue energy. He gripped the jewelry and concentrated. After a few seconds, it came free in his hand. Amy’s pain ceased, leaving residual soreness that quickly ebbed.

“Thank you.” She said, rising to sit on the sofa.

Rack tossed the bracelet in a box and moved back to her. “Now…” He said, sitting on the coffee table in front of her. “We come to the meat of the arrangement. You have my number in your phone. It rings and you see my number? You answer it. I don’t care if you’re sick as a dog or in bed with Brad Pitt. I call, you come. Simple as that.” He patted her knee. “Congratulations. You’re in the magic retrieval business.”

“How will I know when my debt is paid?” She asked him.

“You won’t.” He said. “I’ll let you know.”

“You could have me working for you for years.” She said to him, angry.

“Relax. I’m not that much of a bastard.” He said, rising to his feet. “Besides that, you’re already on your way. That pompous little shit annoys the hell outta me. Part of the reason I got that thing off of you is because I wanna see what you do him for trying something that stupid in the first place. He’s playing at a game he doesn’t completely understand. And I wanna see it come back to bite him in the ass.”


	40. Chapter 40

 

Faith pulled up to the motel and climbed out of the car. Willow did likewise, letting Buffybot out of the back. “Nice to be home.” Faith said, stretching. “I missed it, weirdly.”

“You missed your other girlfriend is what you missed,” Willow said with a smirk.

“True.” Faith said, heading for the room. She pulled the key card out and slid it into the lock, pushing the door open.

Tara sat on the bed, reading as Dawn sat on the floor in front of the television watching something on the Discovery Channel. They both looked up at the trio. Tara rose from the bed and gave her girls a heartfelt kiss. “Welcome back.” She said to the pair. She then looked at Buffybot. “Nice to see you up and around again.”

“Willow and Fred fixed me,” Buffybot said. “I’m as good as new.”

“That took a lot less time than I thought it would,” Dawn said. “Tara was going to be heading to your work soon to request time off for you.”

“No need. I’m fully functional again. I don’t work until tomorrow.” Buffybot said, happily. She looked to Willow. “Can I go to Daniel’s?” She asked.

“Actually…” Tara began. “Anya called earlier today. She wants everyone at the Magic Box for a meeting about Amy.”

“What about her?” Faith said, bitterly. “I don’t want her ass around any of you.”

“She came by to apologize yesterday,” Willow said.

“She was in the house?” Faith asked, snappish. “You let her in the house? What is wrong with you?”

Willow glared at her. “She’s still my friend, Faith. I’m not gonna just turn my back on her. Yeah, what she did was wrong, I’m not going to argue with that but…”

“She tried making you forget you knew anyone but her.” Faith said. “She toyed with everyone’s lives, Red. That’s some inexcusable shit, right there.”

Willow cocked her head. “Kinda like murdering someone in cold blood? Or switching bodies with someone with the sole purpose of making their life a living hell? Or how about hiring on with an evil as heck law firm to kill the only truly good vampire in the world?”

Faith desperately wanted to be angry at the outburst, she really did. But she couldn’t. Because Willow was right. Faith had done all of that and more…and here Willow was, a girl that Faith held at knifepoint, standing before her and staring into her eyes without fear. Fear that was more than evident two and a half years ago. She sighed and fell onto the bed. “You’re right.” Faith’s shoulders sagged. “When I hit rock bottom, Angel scraped me up and helped me through it. I was begging for him to kill me, but he wouldn’t do it. He never gave up hope.”

“That’s exactly Willow’s point, Faith,” Tara said, kneeling in front of the girl. “She wants to be Amy’s salvation. Just like you were, Amy was in a dark place. She wanted her old life back. She wanted to be a carefree high school student again. Two years may not seem like much, but it marks the journey from childhood to adulthood. You, me, Willow? We’ve all gotten to make that journey. Amy never did. She just knows the destination. She has no idea how to get there.”

Faith sighed and nodded. “We’ll hear her out.” She said, softly. “I suppose if you guys are willing to forgive me, it’s the least I can do for her.”

Willow smiled. “You don’t know what that means to me.”

“Yeah, Red. I do.” Faith said, kissing her. “Let’s go and see what she has to say.” She looked at Buffybot. “We’ll drop you off at Daniel’s afterward, okay?”

The blonde nodded happily. “Okay.”

They left the room and piled into the Jeep. “So how did Angel take seeing Buffybot?” Dawn asked. “Did it freak him out?”

“A little.” Faith said. “Oh, get this. He has a kid.”

“Angel, the vampire, has a son?” Dawn asked. “That’s…who’s the mother?”

“Darla,” Willow said. “She apparently got brought back to life as a human and Angel knocked her up.”

“That’s…disturbing,” Dawn said. “I’m gonna need therapy, I can just feel it.”

“Get the right shrink it’s actually pretty nice.” Faith said. “I got a lot of shit off my chest in the joint.”

Tara sighed. “Girl or a boy?”

“Little boy. Name is Connor. And he’s absolutely adorable. Looks a lot like his daddy.” Faith said. “We bought him a stroller and a bassinet. We also stopped some Lilliad Demons, a vampire cult and a biker gang from trying to steal him.” Faith looked at Willow. “Buffybot here took out a bunch of Wolfram and Hart goons.”

“It was very exciting. They shot at me, but that didn’t really help them.” The robot offered with a giggle.

“Is he going to bring Connor up for a visit?” Tara asked. “I’d love to see him.”

“He said he would.” Faith thought for a moment. “You know what?” She looked at the group. “Why don’t we pack up and go down there for Christmas? Xan and Anya said they’re gonna do their own thing. Giles is flying back to England to Christmas with Olivia’s family. We can head south and have some fun.”

Tara gave a bright smile. “That does sound like fun.” She looked at Dawn. “What do you think?”

“That sounds nice,” Dawn said. “I kinda miss Cordy and Angel.”

Buffybot frowned. “I have to go, don’t I?”

“Not if you don’t want to.” Faith said, shrugging. “What did you wanna do?”

“Daniel wants to introduce me to his parents. So he invited me to spend Christmas with them.”

“Rock on, double B.” Faith said. “Go for it.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Willow said, biting her lip nervously. She looked to Buffybot, who was pouting as only she and Buffy ever could. “I’m not being mean. It’s just that you’re not exactly…”

“Oh, come off it, Red. She works a job, for Christ’s sake. She can handle a few days on her own. We’ll have Xander and Spike check in on her from time to time.” Faith said. “She’ll be fine, don’t worry so much.”

“Do you feel confident you can keep yourself from being revealed as a robot?” Willow asked.

“I believe so. I don’t eat much because I used to be extremely overweight and have to be careful.” Buffybot said. “But it smells delicious.”

Willow shrugged and nodded. “I suppose it’ll be alright. If you have any problems, pull your cell phone out, pretend to read a text message, then tell them you have to go home and that it’s a family emergency. I then want you to immediately go to Xander’s apartment, okay?”

“I will.” The blonde said, happily. “Thank you.”

They pulled up to the Magic Box and climbed out. The five of them made their way inside. Xander leaned against the counter smiling at Anya who was, of course, behind the cash register. Giles stood leaning against the table with his arms crossed. Amy sat in a chair at the table fidgeting and looking incredibly angry.

Faith had to immediately bite back her anger. She remembered what Willow said and knew that, for the sake of her girlfriend, she owed the witch at least the courtesy of hearing her out.

Tara could see the girl had used magic recently. But she also saw that, for some reason, she was the target of her own power.  _That_  strangely didn’t seem like Amy. Having spent the time she had as a rat, she would  _never_  risk such again. Willow trotted to her and knelt in front of her, concerned for her well-being. “Amy, what’s the matter?”

The chestnut haired girl smiled at Willow and patted her hand. “I’m fine.” She said, tightly. She rose to her feet. “Now that everyone’s here, I’ve got something to say.” She looked to Tara and Faith. “This is especially for the two of you.” She made sure to look them both in the eyes. “I’m sorry. There is absolutely no excuse for what I did. I don’t expect you to forgive me for it. It was a horrible thing to do.” She moved over, took Faith and Tara by the hand. “Willow was a good friend to me when we were younger. If not for her friendship, I don’t know what I would have done, how I would have survived my mother. She was,  _is_  a very special girl. I don’t think either of you can blame me for wanting her all to myself.” She looked at the redhead and smiled at her. “Who wouldn’t?”

Faith and Tara both had to concede her that. They both turned to their crimson haired lover and smiled brightly. She was a wonderful part of their world.

Amy turned back to them. “I wanted to recapture the magic we had. I didn’t…I didn’t wanna accept that Willow had grown up and moved on from the girl I knew to the woman she is.” She lowered her head. “I’m sorry I had a problem accepting that.”

Faith knew the apology was hard to make. Lately, she’d become something of an authority on the subject of apologies. She could see, in Amy’s eyes, that she was genuinely remorseful for what she’d done. As she stared at the girl, strangely, she saw a lot of herself reflected back. Amy, much like her years ago, felt abandoned and alone. Wandering around on the outside, looking in. Time in prison and the loving hearts of friends and adopted family had changed her. Faith wasn’t who she was then. Not anymore. She was a different person now. Yes, she was angry with what Amy did, but the question was, was she still angry with  _Amy_?

Sadly, she knew the answer to the question. “I know exactly how you felt.” Faith said, smiling at her. “You thought we all turned our backs on you.” The brunette sighed and lowered her head. “I remember what that felt like. It’s a horrible feeling.”

“Now, I have something to tell all of you. It’s going to be hard to hear, but I have to say it.” She motioned everyone toward the table. Anya and Xander kept their spots by the counter. She took a deep breath and continued. “After the memory spell, when everyone told me to leave, I was really upset. I just…I sat at home and stewed. I didn’t do anything, I just fumed. I was so angry.” She shook her head. “I see now, that I had no real right to be. In your shoes, I’d have done the same thing. That’s when Warren, Andrew, and Jonathan came to my house. I’m really not sure how they knew what happened, but they knew. They kind of…recruited me.” She looked at everyone. “You have to understand how pissed off I was at the time.”

Faith, for her part, narrowed her eyes, but said nothing and let the girl go on.

“He had these plans…” She shook her head. “Stupid stuff. Comic book stuff.”

“What was your part in all of that?” Willow asked her. She sounded genuinely hurt.

Amy looked at her. “When I came to apologize and talk to you. That was a part of his plan. He wanted me to put cameras in your house so he could spy on you. When I showed up the first time, that’s what I did.” She looked down. “I forgot to turn them on.”

Dawn sighed. “The demon was something Andrew summoned so you could get back in the house.”

Amy looked at the teen. “Originally, yes. But when I knocked on the door and you protected me without any hesitation, I didn’t wanna do it. I went back to Warren and told him that…” He looked at Faith and Tara. “I told him that you and Willow were to be left alone. I said if anything happened to you, I’d be pissed.”

“But if Tara and I got killed, well…that was okay, right?” Faith asked, her voice hard as steel, she was beginning to get pissed off at the girl. She forced herself to calm down and listen to the rest of the story.

“I realize how that sounds, I do…”

“Somehow, I don’t think you do,” Xander said. “You messed with our heads. Your target might only have been Willow, but you didn’t stop to think how that would have affected the rest of us. All you could think about was yourself. When your spell backfired and you got caught in it, you were just as freaked out as the rest of us.” He walked around and stood in front of her. “And you wanna sit there and tell us how mad  _you_ were? Truthfully, all of us losing our memories was preferable to what you had planned to do.”

“I really do understand that. There aren’t words to describe how sorry I am…”

“But that’s all they’d be, Amy. Words.” Xander growled. He was beyond pissed.

Willow and Tara wanted to come to Amy’s defense, but Xander truly deserved his anger. They all did.

Faith, however, made the choice. “Alright, Xan. Back off a little, bro.” She said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “She’s sorry, alright?”

“You can’t seriously consider forgiving her.” He said, angrily.

“I can. Because I’ve been there. I know where she’s coming from. She feels like because of one little mistake, we abandoned her.” She gave him a serious look. “Trust me, I know exactly how that feels.”

“But what she did…” He began.

“Ain’t no worse than that shit I pulled.” She pointed to Anya. “She’s brought more men to ruin than the IRS and then you have Giles.”

“What about Giles?” Xander asked, looking at the Watcher.

“You ever wonder why Ethan called him ‘Ripper’?” Faith asked. “A good amount of us have made some pretty bad mistakes over the course of our lives, Xander. Amy just made hers.” She turned to the witch. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still pissed as hell about it and if I had my way, I’d beat the shit out of her…” She stared into the girl’s eyes to make sure she understood the truth of it. “But at the end of the day, I see where she’s coming from. She fucked up. But the way I see it if we can trust Spike with Dawn’s safety, if you can gloss over Anya’s past – and how much she seemed to thoroughly enjoy it – enough to wanna marry her…” She looked at Willow and Tara. “And if these two can forgive me enough to fall in love with me, we at least owe Amy the same courtesy.”

He wanted to scream that she didn’t deserve any kind of chance. He wanted to throw her under the bus and, and… He stopped and drew a deep breath. She was right. They’d all screwed up. Not to the same degree, maybe, but mistakes had been made. Words were said that weren’t meant. Friends, sadly, hurt each other. It was the take in the ‘give and take’ of friendship. But friends also forgave. He looked at Amy. “You hurt us, Amy. You went to school with us. We weren’t close, granted, but we weren’t strangers, either. We deserved better.  _Willow_  deserved better.” He sighed. He didn’t bother looking at the bubbly redhead. “But right now, she’s giving me resolve face, which means I really ain’t got a choice.” Dawn, Buffybot, and Tara giggled. “I’m willing to give you a second chance if everyone else is.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks, Xander.”

“The question remains…” Giles said, moving over to the girl. “Why come to us about Warren, if you’re working with him?”

“I’m not working with him anymore,” Amy said, shaking her head. “He’s a psychopath.” She looked Faith. “He’s crazier than you  _ever_  were. He’s the one that sent Buffybot after Willow and Dawn.  _Specifically_  after Willow and Dawn. He wanted to kill them.”

Faith growled deep in her throat. “I’m gonna rip his fucking spine out.” Willow and Tara both laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. She was trembling with rage.

“Like I said, I told him that Willow and Dawn were off the table. Immediately after I said that he loosed her.” She pointed at the blonde robot.

“I tried to stop him, but I couldn’t. He had overwritten my protocols.” Buffybot said, sadly.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Tara said. “No one blames you.” That seemed to make the bot feel better.

“After I found out, I was done. I was so pissed off at him, I couldn’t think straight. I went back to Andrew’s house…” She looked at Faith. “That’s where they’re holed up, by the way. In his basement. Anyway, I went to tell him that I was done. I was all ready to kick his ass when he put some sort of bracelet on me. It had weird runes on it and it turned my magic back on me. Every time I tried to cast a spell or remove it, it sent this…energy through me that made my body feel like it was on fire.”

Giles nodded. He’d read of such artifacts. They were expensive, but not overly difficult to craft. “He wanted to control you.”

She nodded. “That was his plan. I originally wanted to come to you guys for help, but…” She lowered her head. “I wasn’t sure you would have. So I went to the only other person that I know that might have had the power to remove it.” She chuckled. “Turns out he was the one that made it in the first place for Warren.”

“Who did you go to?” Willow asked.

“He’s a Warlock. He’s kind of a, a magic pusher. A mystical drug dealer.”

Everyone looked blankly at her, but Giles narrowed his eyes. “Rack.” He said, his voice cold.

“How did you know?” Amy asked him. “You know him?”

“I know  _of_  him.” The Watcher said. “He’s not someone to be trifled with. He’s not exceptionally powerful, but what he lacks in power, he makes up for in pure cold-heartedness and a deep understanding of the dark arts. He’s a very dangerous man.”

“My mother and I used to go to him before…well, you know.”

“Spike mentioned something about him.” Faith said. “Said he was a pretty creepy dude.”

“Oh, he is,” Giles said. “He’s also for sale. He’s only loyal to money.” He looked intently at Amy. “What did you have to give him for removing the bracelet?”

“A few favors.” She held her hands up. “Nothing involving you guys. He said one of the reasons he removed it was because he wanted to see what I did to Warren and his pals for trying to shackle me like that in the first place.”

Faith rose to her feet. “You wanna get back at him?”

“You have  _no_  idea,” Amy said. “I wanna be a part of…” She motioned to everyone. “This. What it is you guys do.” She shook her head. “I’m not the witch Willow or Tara are. I know some, but I’m not powerful. I just wanna make this son of a bitch pay for what he did to me.”

Faith looked at everyone. She turned back to the girl. She pulled a ten out of her pocket and handed it to her. “Why don’t you go across the street and grab yourself a coffee or something? We gotta talk.” She said, softly trying not to make it sound like an order.

Amy nodded and took the money. “Thanks.” She said, leaving the shop.

As soon as she was gone, Faith turned to the rest of the group. She stopped a moment and turned to Buffybot. “Can you tell if there’s any kind of surveillance in here?”

The robot nodded and pointed to a small skull with a candle on the top of it. Giles and Anya immediately moved over to it. “When did you purchase this?” Giles asked Anya.

“I didn’t buy it. I thought you did.” The woman returned. She took skull in her hand and looked at it. “Here in the eye.” She said, showing everyone.

Faith took hold of it. She stared into the camera. She gave an evil grin. “Hi, boys. I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Faith. You’re history.” She carefully pulled the camera out and crushed it in her hand. “God, tearing those three apart is going to be  _so_  therapeutic.”

Anya smiled at her, taking the skull. “Thank you for not damaging the merchandise.”

“That’s nine bucks you’d have never gotten back.” Faith said smiling. “So Amy. Should we let her help us out?”

“I don’t think revenge is a very good motivator,” Giles said, pulling his glasses off to clean them.

Remembering an earlier conversation she had with him, she looked at Xander and Anya. The pair were leaning closer, kissing. She chuckled and turned back to the Watcher. “Revenge might not be, but couple that with a need for redemption and you got a pretty good recipe for wanting to help.”

Willow piped up. “Warren was using her. Let’s not forget, he went to her, not the other way around.”

“But she accepted,” Dawn said. “He wanted her help and she was all willing to give it to him until he betrayed her. I mean, playing devil’s advocate for a minute, what if Warren hadn’t have sent Buffybot after us? What would she have done? How far would she have gone?”

“Don’t think you understand how this bloke thinks, love.” Spike’s cockney accent sounded from the stairs that led to the basement. He was seated on the steps, smoking a cigarette.

“Christ, you’re quiet.” Faith said. “Getting a bell for your neck, I swear to god.”

“What did you mean by that?” Giles asked, leaning against the table and crossing his arms. “And for the heaven’s sake, put that out.”

Spike finished it off and put it out against his boot sole before tossing the butt in the trash as he walked by. “Boy fancies himself a smooth talker, he does. I’ve dealt with him. Boy’s not exactly Churchill, but he’s not a dimwit either. Chances are if rat girl was feeling particularly down in the dumps, he could bring her out of it and bring her to the dark side. Wouldn’t take much doin’.”

“What do you think we should do?” Faith asked. “I mean, I’ve never even met the punk.”

“You saw him once outside the shop.” Dawn offered. “He bumped into you, remember?”

“Oh, yeah.”

“Think on it this way, pet. If you bring cheese muncher in…” Spike began.

“She has a name, Spike,” Willow said.

“And I don’t sodding care.” He snapped. “Because of her, I thought I was four eyes’ son over here. You don’t just forget something like that.”

“It was no picnic for me either,” Giles said. “Still wake up in cold sweats thinking about that.”

Spike and he just shared a disgusted look. “Be that as it may, you bring her on board, you got another magic tosser in your arsenal. And someone like her, you’d rather have her on your side than not.”

“Spikes’ right,” Xander said. “Never thought I’d be saying that.”

“Funny, Harris,” Spike said.

“Point is, we could use the help,” Tara said. “Together, these three have been proving that they’re capable of some pretty dangerous things.”

“That’s true.” Faith said. “I mean, I kinda gotta give ‘em respect. That time skippy device? The loop spell? That was pretty ingenious. And hacking double B’s programming was a pretty solid idea. Together, they’re hella dangerous.”

“So why don’t we go over a knock a few heads tonight?” Spike asked.

Faith smiled and shook her head. “No. Not tonight.”

“Um…” Xander began. “Why not?”

“Because until recently, they’ve been holding all the cards. Now, thanks to Amy, we know where they are, we can find out exactly what they’re planning and we can start fighting back. They’re using technology and magic to get into our lives. It’s time we did the same.”

“What are you suggesting?” Giles asked.

“Well…” She looked at Willow. “How good are you with surveillance cameras?”

The redhead grinned widely. “I think I like where you’re going with this.”

Spike chuckled. “Gonna out-Trio the Trio, huh?”

“Something like that.” Faith said. She looked and saw Amy milling about on the street sipping her coffee. She moved to the door and opened it. “Come on in.” As the girl entered, Faith smiled and patted her on the shoulder. “You’re in.”

Amy smiled at them and pulled a few dollars out of her pocket. “Here.” She said, handing it to Faith. “Your change.”

The slayer pocketed the cash and had her sit at the table. “So tell us everything he told you.”

“Well, you know the diamond he stole?” As they nodded, she went on. “He’s using it for some sort of invisibility ray…”

The group listened as she laid out everything that Warren had shared with her, along with everything she saw when she worked with them in their secret lairs.

 


	41. Chapter 41

 

Dawn stood with her arms crossed, listening to Amy as she detailed what Warren had shared with her. And the teen couldn’t care less. She was too pissed off. She looked around the room and saw that everyone’s attention was squarely on the chestnut haired witch. Dawn moved over to the table. “Willow? Can I use your laptop?” The redhead looked at her, nodded and turned back to Amy. Dawn pulled the computer out of the girl’s bag, opened and powered it on.

As everyone gabbed back and forth, the girl brought up the internet and typed in a name. After a few minutes of searching, she found what she was looking for. She closed the laptop, put it back in Willow’s bag and left out the service entrance. She trotted down the alleyway and toward the address she’d looked up.

For the past year and a half, Dawn had, in one form or another, been the victim. Because of her, her sister was dead. Because of her, half of Sunnydale still lay in ruins. She was responsible for it all. It wasn’t her fault, and after spending a good deal of time crying and talking with the loved ones she still had, she no longer blamed herself. But, be that as it may, if she hadn’t existed, none of it would have happened. When she was created, she was a hapless little girl that knew nothing of what – or who – she was.

But that was all in the past. She wasn’t that girl anymore. She wasn’t the Key. She wasn’t the helpless little sister of Buffy. Faith had taken Dawn and began molding her into something far beyond what she was when she was first folded into the world.

Now she was Dawn Summers. Sister of one of, if not  _the_ greatest slayer that ever lived. Part of what made Buffy was inside her. She might not have the essence of the slayer, but what she did have, was her beloved sister’s confidence in herself and the newfound crazy calm that came with knowing that shit was about to get real. She permitted herself a smile. She even started sounding like her sister.

Dawn was done being the human escort mission. Today, she was determined to solve a problem. She walked through the streets with purpose. She left the confines of downtown and came to the rows of rambler style homes. She stopped at one particular house. She walked onto the lawn and began looking around the base of the home. She came to the basement and saw the doors. She chuckled as she noticed they were unlocked.

She stepped over, gripped the handles and flung them open loudly.

Warren, Andrew, and Jonathan all jumped in fright at the crash that resounded as the wood slammed. Dawn slowly descended the stairs, staring at the boys. “Good afternoon, gentlemen.”

Warren immediately regained his composure. “Well,” He said, rising from the computer chair and walking toward her. “If it isn’t the slayer’s little sister.” He came to stand in front of her…only to realize that she was actually taller than he was.

“Just thought I’d stop by and show you that you failed.” She said. She then cut loose with a hard snap kick that caught him directly in the crotch. He let out a high pitched squawk and dropped to his knees. “And just to prove I don’t fight like a little girl…” She spun on her foot with a reverse heel kick. The blow hit solidly, sending him to the floor. He wrapped one arm around his head and gripped his bruised genitals with the other.

She stared down at him a moment then growled and kicked him three times in rapid succession in the gut. “Son of a bitch.” She snapped. “Think you can screw with me and my friends. You’re lucky I don’t kill you.”

Warren lay on the ground moaning piteously. Dawn slowly lifted her eyes to the other two boys. “Now it’s your turn.” She said, cracking her knuckles.

“We didn’t have anything to do-,” Jonathan began.

“With Buffy coming after me?” She asked. She then nodded her head. “I know. But you didn’t stop him, either.”

The pair of them turned and ran for the basement doors. Dawn grabbed the computer chair and turned, hurling it with all her might. As the boys jostled to get out of the basement, the chair slammed into the pair of them, knocking them down. She walked past, kicking Warren again in the testicles to be certain he didn’t go anywhere.

She approached Andrew first. She pulled him to his feet and turned, tossing him to the floor. She then put her attention fully on Jonathan. “ _You_  really piss me off. My sister spent her high school years looking out for you. You might not have been friends, but she did her best to keep you from getting bullied too badly. And this is how you repay her kindness? By tormenting me and the people I care about?”

“She didn’t help me because she cared. She helped me because I was little.” He said, getting to his feet. “She did it to make herself feel better.”

Dawn grabbed him by his shirt and lifted him off his feet. “She did it because she was a god damned hero. She did it because it was the right thing to do, Jonathan.”

Andrew rose to his feet and grabbed a broom. He slow walked toward the girl, looking to hit her over the head. He drew back, ready to swing. He let loose, just as Dawn turned, putting Jonathan between them. The wooden handle of the broom cracked and busted across the back of the smaller boy’s head.

She tossed Jonathan aside and looked directly at Andrew. “You must think I’m as dumb as you look.” She said, shaking her head. She knelt and lifted the broken piece of the broom. “You know…” She said, spinning it in her hand and looked at the sharpened end. “I’ve actually killed before.” She looked him in the eye. “Did you know that?” She walked toward him, holding the stake up. “Pushed a stake…” She looked at it. “Just like this one.” She returned to his eyes. “Right through his heart. Went in real easy, too.”

He backed away from her, bumping into a support beam. He ducked around it. “But… I’m not a vampire, I’m human. You can’t kill me.”

“Yeah, Andrew. I can. You know why? Because you’re not human. You’re a demon, just like all the rest. What makes a demon, you ask? Simple.” She swerved around the post quickly, cutting off his escape. “Faith explained it to me. Demons prey on fear. They favor carnage and mayhem over law and order. She said that demons thrive on the suffering of others.” She moved closer, gripping his shirt and pushing him back against the wall. She lifted the stake to stab him. “And that’s exactly what you three are doing.”

“If you kill me, the police are gonna find you,” Andrew said. “You’ll spend the rest of your life in prison.”

“No,” Dawn said, smiling. “I’m only fifteen. I just lost my mother and my sister. My father’s a deadbeat that doesn’t care one lick about me. I got more than enough trauma to drive me over the edge.” She chuckled. “I get gussied up in a little pink dress with bows in my hair and cry to the judge? The worst I’ll face is a few sessions with a child psychologist and some time in an institute. I’ll be out before summer.” She leaned in and glared at him. “And you’ll still be dead.”

“You…you’re not this person. You’re good. You’re not a killer, Dawn.” Andrew said. He had genuine fear in his eyes. He looked at Warren, who was still lying on the ground, mewling and cursing. Jonathan was unconscious from the extremely hard blow he’d taken. The curly haired blonde was on his own.

“I wasn’t,” Dawn said. She could see his terror and began to play on it. She started giggling. “I was just a normal girl a year ago. Boys, My Little Pony and trips to the mall with my friends. A little allowance to buy nice clothes and cute shoes. That’s all I wanted. But no. I had to get pursued by a hell goddess that wanted to cut me open and use my blood to open a doorway between dimensions. When all hell was breaking loose, I realized that I had to sacrifice myself to save the world. I was ready to do it, too.” She leaned forward. “So you see Andrew. I  _was_  a good person. I was a good girl. I was going to jump to my death to save all of you.” She shook her head. “But obviously, I didn’t jump. I didn’t save the world.” She smiled widely. “Because I’m not the hero, Andrew. My sister… _she_ was the hero. She took my place. Because we shared common blood, she leapt to her death. Three months after my mother died, my sister threw herself off of a tower to save the world. None of the three of you would even be here, if not for her.”

“I-I’m sorry, Dawn.” He said to her. “I’m genuinely sorry. I didn’t really…” He looked at the other two. “We didn’t think about any of that.”

“No, of course, you didn’t,” Dawn said. “But you’re missing the point, Andrew. After all of that, I lost it. I wasn’t sure who I was, where I belonged. It’s not like I had a family. I had no purpose anymore. Willow, Tara, Giles and Xander all tried to help me through it. The pain of knowing that you aren’t anything anymore. Then Faith arrived. She gave me a purpose. She gave me stability.” She sighed. “She’s been a godsend. Because of her, I almost felt normal again.” She looked at him with a soft smile. “You know how good that feels?”

He returned her smile. “It sounds like you went through hell. I’m glad that you-,”

Dawn’s face immediately turned angry. “Then you three happened. You started screwing with Faith. She didn’t take it seriously. She just laughed it off as clever, but not very threatening.” She chuckled. “But me? I didn’t think it was funny. Still don’t. See, something you don’t understand, punk. I’m a Summers.” She looked to the side, seeing a baseball bat leaning against the wall. “Pardon me a second.” She said tucking the stake into her pocket. She then moved over and gripped the bat.

She hefted it and walked over to Warren, who had managed to get to his hands and knees. “I didn’t say…” She caught him in the ribs, throwing him back to the ground. “You could…” She hit him again in the groin. “Get up.” She moved over and swung as Jonathan sat up. The bat cracked him across the face, knocking him back down to the floor, sending teeth and blood onto the cement. She rested the bat on her shoulder and pulled the stake free. “Where were we?” She asked him.

“You’re a Summers?” Andrew said, shakily.

“Right,” Dawn said, grinning. “That means I carry a grudge. You see I wasn’t a killer, Andrew. I wasn’t the pissed off teenager you see now.” She pointed the stake at his face. “ _You_  made me this way. You and those other two are the reason I’m here, now, ready to ram this into your chest. The way I see it, tough guy? This isn’t murder.” She smiled like a skull. “It’s suicide.”

He screamed and closed his eyes as she drew the stake back and let fly. She spun it in her hand and the last possible second and stopped as the rounded end of the broom came to rest on his chest. He stood a moment and opened his eyes to see her giggling. He looked down and saw the butt of the stake resting against his shirt. “You…you didn’t stab me.”

“No, Andrew. I didn’t stab you.” She kept his eyes. “I just want you to understand that I could have. I could have killed you. But I didn’t.”

“Why?” He asked.

“Because I’m not the villain of the story, Andrew. This…” She motioned around, “Is all a comic book, remember? You’re the Riddler.” She pointed to Warren. “He’s the Mad Hatter.” She then pointed to Jonathan. “He’s, I don’t know…Sebastian Blackspell or something.”

Andrew actually beamed. “You really know your Batman villains.”

“I’ve always liked Batman,” Dawn said. “The point is…”

“You really think I’m the Riddler?” Andrew said.

Dawn stared at him. “You know you’re right. You’re not that cool.” She sighed. “In fact, none of you are. You’re more like…Condiment King.”

“Oh, come on,” Andrew said.

“Warren over there is probably closer to Death Rattle than the Mad Hatter, now that I think about it. And Jonathan is still Sebastian Blackspell.” She smacked Andrew in the head. “Now don’t interrupt me again.” She sighed. “In all of this, I’d say you could think of me as Batman, but let’s be honest. I’m not quite that awesome yet. Faith would definitely be Batman. Me?” She stepped back, tossed the stake aside and gripped the baseball bat, delivering a hard blow to Andrew’s gut, dropping him to the floor. He groaned as he lay there. “You can think of me as Anarky.” She put her foot on his chest and pushed him onto his back. “I’m not gonna kill you, Andrew. But if any of you come after me or my friends again? I’m gonna take this bat and I’m gonna show you that killing you all is probably the kindest thing I could do.”

She turned to leave and stopped, looking at the huge bank of computers. She set the bat down, walked over to the utility sink and grabbed the bucket from underneath. She filled it to the brim and moved over to the workstation and drew the bucket back, splashing water all over the computers, monitors, and electronics.

With a buzz, a pop, several cracks and a few puffs of smoke, the systems died. She used another two buckets, just to be on the safe side.

She then left without another word, baseball bat in hand. She had a smile on her face. It had been a very good day. She headed back to the Magic Box. She walked in the front door with everyone still planning. She sat down at the table and relaxed.

Andrew lay on his side as the pain in his ribs faded. “Jeez, can she swing.” He said, coughing. He got to his knees and nearly fell down as the dizziness began to lessen. He braced himself on the wall and rose to his feet. He swooned and fell against the wall. He rested a moment and made his way to Jonathan. He knelt beside the boy. He had a large lump on the side of his head. “Jonathan,” Andrew said, gently shaking him.

He opened his eyes, looking about frantically. “Is she gone?” He asked, nervously. When Andrew nodded, he sat up, fighting the nausea that threatened to up-end his lunch. “God, my head.” He said, reaching up to rub it. He immediately flinched and took his hand away. “Oh, god, that hurts worse.”

“She was really mad,” Andrew said, fear in his voice. “I’m not doing this anymore.”

“What?” Jonathan asked him.

“This. The whole villain thing. I’m done. I’m out.”

“You…you can’t mean that,” Jonathan said, surprised. “We were doing well.”

“Think about it,” Andrew said. His tone was extremely serious. “This was Dawn. The younger sister of the slayer. Of everyone, she was the normal one. She doesn’t use magic, she doesn’t have superpowers or, or any kind of knowledge of…stuff. She’s a typical fifteen-year-old girl.” He motioned around the room. “Look what she did to us. If Dawn can just walk in here and take all three of us out and destroy all of our computer equipment without breaking a sweat, what do you think Faith, Willow or Tara could do? Faith’s a slayer. And she went to jail for murder.” He shook his head. “This was a bad idea from the start.”

Warren got to his knees. “Oh, god. I taste my genitals.” He looked around and settled his eyes on the smoking, shorted out computers. “Oh, son of a bitch.”

“I’m done, Warren,” Andrew said. “I’m not a part of the trio anymore.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Warren said. “We’ve come too far for you to quit now.”

Andrew shook his head. “No. I’m out. I’m through.”

Warren glared at him. “Why? Because you got beat up by a little girl?”

“Says the man that will never have children again,” Andrew said. “No. It’s because I looked in her eyes, Warren. Dawn is fed up.”

“So what? We underestimated her. A few months of fighting lessons doesn’t make her unstoppable-,”

“It’s not that, Warren. It’s that this was Dawn, we’re talking about.  _Just_  Dawn. And she did this much damage. We’re not super villains, Warren. We never were. There was, is and never will be anything we can do to these people that will make them fear us. I mean, for god’s sake, Dawn just faced down a Hell Goddess.” He stared at the boy. “A Goddess, Warren. A Deity.” He shook his head. “What are we, compared to that? Nothing. If you two still wanna try and be a thorn in the slayer’s side, that’s your business. I’m not gonna stop you. But when the day comes that you go too far and have to face not only Faith but the wrath of all of her friends? I don’t wanna be a part of it.” He stood and moved over, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Now get out.”

“This is our lair,” Warren said.

“This is my aunt’s house,” Andrew said. “And I don’t want you here anymore.”

Warren stood, grunting. “You’re gonna turn you back on me? After everything I’ve done for you.”

“All you’ve managed to do, Warren, is piss off the slayer.” He shook his head. “I’m not getting in the way of that. She’s gonna come for you. I don’t wanna be there when it happens.”

“Fine. If that’s the way you want it.” He looked at Jonathan. “Come on. Help me gather our gear.”

Andrew knew he was going to pay hell for what he was doing here. Warren was among the most vengeful people he’d ever met. But Dawn had opened his eyes. For all of their scheming and plotting, there was literally nothing the Trio could do that would matter in the grand scheme of things. They were simply outclassed. To a group that had taken on giant demons, ancient vampire lords, Frankenstein-esque Cyber-demonoids and fallen goddesses…a group of geeks in a basement with a van full of last year’s camera equipment  _really_  didn’t rate.

Warren shuffled up the stairs, carrying a box of various components and paraphernalia. Jonathan stopped, watching him ascend the stairs and turned back to Andrew. “Are you sure about this?”

“I’m scared, Jonathan. Dawn put the fear of god into me. She said she’d do things to us that would make us understand that killing us would be a kindness. I saw it in her eyes. She’s not … _right_. Since losing her sister and her mother she’s…I don’t want her mad at me anymore. And if we keep doing what we’re doing, a line is gonna be crossed, Jonathan. And that girl is going to come back here and it isn’t going to be nearly as gentle as it was this time.”

“But you know he’s gonna make you pay for throwing him out,” Jonathan said.

“I know and that does scare me, believe me.” He shook his head. “But Dawn scares me more.” Andrew knew that Jonathan wouldn’t understand. The boy didn’t see the look in Dawn’s angry blue eyes. There was no fear, no pity and no remorse behind the child-like façade. She was capable of being far more vicious and uncompromising than they would ever even hope of being. “Just be careful, Jonathan. Warren doesn’t know when to stop. He still thinks he’s got an edge over them. He doesn’t. They’ve managed to thwart every ploy we’ve hatched and we haven’t even slowed them down. He doesn’t… _won’t_  see that until it’s too late. I don’t want you getting hurt because of him.”

The brunette boy gave Andrew one last look and climbed the stairs, leaving the blonde boy sitting alone on his bed in the basement. The dull pain in Andrew’s ribs convinced him, without a shadow of a doubt, he’d made the right decision.

 


	42. Chapter 42

 

Faith drove along the streets of Sunnydale behind the wheel of the gloss blue Volkswagen. The Porsche engine in the rear, though not the most high-performance power plant of the manufacturer’s catalog, still gave the little car plenty of pep. The ride was actually really nice and the steering was impeccable. She had to give credit where credit was due, whoever put the rig back together knew what they were doing. She also loved the tiny machine’s rather aggressive exhaust profile.

She eased into the parking lot behind the Magic Box and came to a stop next to her Roadrunner. She climbed out, gathered the pair of bags she’d gotten and removed the car cover from the boot. She tossed it over the car, making certain that it was well covered.

She turned and went inside with the bags. She saw Tara and Willow both working hard using the same charm that Willow had used during the ersatz engagement party that they had thrown for Xander and Anya. They looked absolutely beautiful. The best part was that after a few hours, they would simply disappear, leaving no mess to clean up. That was always a plus. “Nice work, ladies.” Faith offered, nodding. “Dawn’s gonna be ecstatic.”

The pair looked at her and both gave her a warm, appreciative smile before going back to work.

Xander and Anya were setting gifts on the counter. She moved over and handed the pair the sacks. “Here you are.” She set the bags down on the glass beside the other gifts that the group had purchased for the teen. She saw the rather significant collection and chuckled. Dawn was going to be very happy.

“Thank you,” Xander said, placing them with the rest.

Anya smiled at the slayer. “We spent a lot of money for her birthday. So you should spend a lot of money for our engagement party.”

Faith couldn’t help but laugh. She could always count on Anya to be, well, Anya. The woman was never shy about how absolutely greedy she was. She was the poster girl for capitalism. “Don’t worry Ahn. We’ll take care of you.” She moved around the room, asking if anyone needed any help.

Giles and Olivia both stood at the table, readying the snacks and beverages for the party. Faith offered her fist to the dark skinned woman. Olivia bumped it immediately.

“Well…” Giles looked about. “We seem to have everything pretty well in hand. If you’d like…” He looked at his watch. “I suppose Dawn should be just about finished. You could go and pick her and Buffybot up from the tattoo parlor.”

Faith smiled. “I’m still kind of shocked that you all went along with that.”

Giles shrugged. “Well, Dawn _is_ turning sixteen. What better way for her to show her independence than with an overt display of teen rebellion?”

Faith chuckled and looked at Olivia. “You got any skin art?” Faith lifted the sleeve of her shirt. “I do.”

Olivia grinned and turned, lifting the back of her shirt, revealing a beautiful orange koi fish with dragon-like features. “I got this when I was Dawn’s age.”

Faith inspected it closely. “I know the Koi is supposed to represent something. But I forget off the top of my head.”

“The Dragon Koi like this represents overcoming obstacles to meet one’s destiny,” Olivia said. “I thought it fitting given that when I was younger, I actually wanted to be a museum curator.”

Faith let out a belly laugh. “Well, you do own a multi-ethnic art gallery.”

Olivia nodded, letting her shirt down. “With my rather poor grades in college, it’s the closest I’ll ever get, I’m sure.” She looked at Giles with moon eyes. “But I find it’s not all bad.”

He pulled her in and kissed her. “Not bad at all.”

“I’m gonna go ahead and grab Dawn and double B. Everything ready here?” She asked, looking around.

Willow and Tara gave a quick perusal of the room and nodded. “We’re ready.” The redhead said. She pulled Faith in for a kiss.

Tara immediately followed suit. “H-how do you like the decorations?” She asked, smiling.

“I dig on it.” Faith said, honestly. “I think the kid’s gonna flip her lid. I don’t think she has any idea. I told her for her birthday, I’d picked up a couple of machetes to do some actual blade work instead of with the practice Bokken. She was happy as a clam.”

Both Willow and Tara suddenly looked nervous. “Did you?”

“Yeah, I did plan on it, but not today. Make no mistake, though. Girl’s ready for the big time. She’s a faster learner than I was.” Faith admitted. “Don’t worry, Tweed will be here when I start her in on that. And we’ll make sure she’s armored up.” She pulled her keys out and headed for the back. “I’ll be back with the girls. Make sure everything is set.”

She climbed into her car and hit the streets. She had her window down, enjoying the nice weather. She had to admit, California definitely had it over Boston as far as weather went. In Southie, it would be a rare day when the December weather would crest forty degrees. More often than not, it was below freezing. She had lost count of how many nights she spent huddled under a pile of blankets shivering because her mother hadn’t paid the electric bill.

She shook her head, banishing the thoughts. That was a lifetime ago. She wasn’t that person anymore. Now, she had a good job in construction. With her slayer strength and stamina, she was doing really well. The boys at the site absolutely loved her. And she had to admit, they were a great group of guys. They busted their butts to make sure that the house was finished in record time.

True to their word, when the job was done, Faith, Tara, and Willow all got dressed up in their tiniest bikinis and barbecued food for the boys. Both Tara and Willow were nervous as hell, thinking that beer and construction workers were a bad combination. But at the end of the day, the boys kept their hands to themselves and just enjoyed the spectacle. Xander showed up with Anya in tow. The ex-vengeance demon got in on the act and stripped off her sweats and t-shirt to show that she, too was clad in an itty bitty number.

The whole affair had been a blast, to be honest. At the end of the night, Faith, Tara, and Willow treated the boys by making out for almost ten minutes straight. After Tara and Willow got a couple beers in them, that is.

She was still giggling as she pulled up in front of the tattoo shop. She stepped out and entered. It was a small affair that did a relatively good business. She could see that Dawn was still on the table. Ronnie, the artist, and owner of the shop was hunched over the girl’s arm, still doing her thing. Faith actually met the girl when she was in Sunnydale three years ago. She’d saved the lovely woman from a female vamp that was trying a little too hard to ‘neck’. Despite owning the parlor, the girl didn’t have as much ink as Faith would have thought. Most people who own such places were covered with skin art. Ronnie had a rather intricate half sleeve on her left upper arm and shoulder of a Japanese Samurai mask surrounded by lotus and cherry blossoms. Faith knew from personal experience that the girl had a few smaller tats in various places not spoken of in polite company thanks to a rather tawdry one night stand. Neither girl expected more of it than there was and parted on very good terms.

When Dawn expressed an interest in getting a tattoo on Halloween, Faith immediately thought of Ronnie. When she’d originally met her, she had no idea that she owned a tattoo studio. She stumbled into the tattoo shop and saw the girl and immediately rekindled old friendships. When she dropped the teen off this morning, she knew Dawn was in good hands.

She looked up at Faith and smiled brightly. “Hey, Faith.” She said, offering her fist as the slayer moved closer.

Faith bumped it, smiling. “What up Ronnie?” She said, looking at the intricate silver and black Celtic Iron Cross that was taking shape on Dawn’s right bicep. “That’s some sick work.”

“I’m just about done.” The artist said.

Dawn smiled. “Does it look badass?”

“It does, actually.” Faith said. “Makin’ me think I should get another one.”

“Oh, please do,” Ronnie said, grinning. “I would relish the chance to tat your sexy ass.”

Buffybot flipped through the books, looking at the tattoos available. “Ronnie said that I should get a tattoo.”

Faith looked at her. “Hell yeah. I think you should too.” She looked at the woman as she put the finishing touches on Dawn’s arm. “What would you suggest for the pair of us?”

“For you?” The woman thought a moment. “I’m thinking…like, Ao Kuang, Dragon King of the East Sea, wrapped around a badass Chinese nine ring broadsword. It’d be big, but it would look awesome as fuck. Right down the middle of your back. Probably take a while, but I’d love to do it.”

Faith listened to her and smiled. “That would be pretty cool, actually. What would you want for something like that?”

“Given that you’d probably be my first big canvas, I’d be using you for a guinea pig. I’d probably ask you to lay down about six, maybe seven hundred bucks. But we’re also talking neck to ass and shoulder to shoulder as far as size goes.”

“Could you do it all in one day?” Faith asked.

Ronnie bit her lip and shook her head. “No. I mean, if I wanted to exhaust myself, sure. But then the last couple of hours wouldn’t be my best work. I’d want a couple days for something like that. Also, depends on your pain threshold. If you’re as tough as Dawnie here is, I could bust it out over a weekend.”

“Well, shit. Sign me up.” Faith said, smiling. “I think that would be awesome.”

“That’s you. Blondie over there, I’m not sure. Given the valley girl look, anything would look good on her.”

“I like spiders,” Buffybot said. “I think they just look neat.”

Ronnie laughed so hard she had to stop her work on Dawn’s arm. “God, I love that girl. Who the fuck says ‘neat’ anymore?” She went back to it. “She’s been sayin’ shit like that all day.” She wiped the tears from her eyes. “Maybe an intricate web across her butt cheek, leading a couple strands to the other. Put a big black widow on her hip, crawling onto the web.”

Faith lifted her brow and looked at Buffybot. “That would be sexy as hell, to be honest.”

Dawn giggled. “That would be pretty cool. Daniel would love it. I think you should do it.” The fact that Buffybot wanted a tattoo was just one more thing that reminded Dawn that despite the looks, she wasn’t looking at her sister. Buffy would never have even contemplated getting a tattoo.

“You think so?” Buffybot asked. “Do you think Willow would let me?”

“I can talk to her if you want.” Faith said, leaning on the counter next to the table.

“I would like that.”

Ronnie looked at the blonde. “To get to ink up that fine ass, I’d do it for free.”

“She gets a freebie, but I gotta put out?” Faith asked, trying as hard as she could to sound hurt. The sparkle in her eyes, however, gave her away.

“I’m putting about ten to twelve hours in on you. Hers ain’t gonna take but four, maybe five. And I’m tattooing your back, not your naked ass.” She smiled and looked at Buffybot. “Sides that, I got a thing for blondes.”

“I’m in love with Daniel,” Buffybot said. “But you are very pretty.”

Ronnie again giggled. “I love an honest girl.” She finished up with Dawn and wiped the tattoo off. “Alright, kiddo. We’re done.”

Dawn sat up and walked over to the mirror. The intricate design made her smile. “It looks wicked.” She said, happily. When she told Ronnie what she wanted, the girl nodded and admitted that it was a good design, but she also admitted that it would be far too busy and muddled. Dawn had originally wanted to make the outline of the cross itself out of razor wire and the internal Celtic design to look as though it was fashioned of thorny plants. Dawn saw a mock up and didn’t see the problem. Ronnie then showed her examples of how it looked on skin and Dawn agreed with her. It would have been a mess. If she was doing an entire back tattoo or something, it would be a different story. But given that hers was barely six by six on her bicep, it wouldn’t have worked.

Ronnie went to her computer and quickly printed off a document and folded it, handing it to Faith. “You probably know all this already, but it’s instructions on how to take care of the tat.”

Faith nodded. “I’ll make sure she does it right.” She moved over and looked at the skin art. “Damn, you do good work, girl.”

Ronnie sat Dawn back down and cleaned the tattoo before slathering on special lotion and placing a bandage over it. “Give it four or so hours before pulling the bandage off.”

Dawn nodded. “Thank you so much.” She said, hugging the woman.

Faith pulled the two hundred dollar bills out of her wallet and handed it to her. “Thanks, Ronnie.”

She looked at the money and smiled brightly. “No problem.”

The three left the parlor and piled into Faith’s car. “You like your birthday present, kiddo?” Faith asked.

“I do. I’m surprised you talked Willow and Tara into it.” Dawn said, looking down at her arm.

“Once I told them what you wanted, it wasn’t that hard, to be honest.” Faith said.

“Still.” Dawn offered. “I know Buffy would never have gone along with it. When I brought the idea up to her and mom, the response was ‘over my dead body’ if I remember correctly.”

“Well, in their defense, it’s not a choice you make because you wanna be rebellious. It’s a big decision. They told you no when you were what, thirteen or fourteen?” At Dawn’s nod, Faith continued. “At that age, you really aren’t thinking about the future so much. That’s something you’re gonna have the rest of your life. Your mom and your sister just wanted to make sure it was something that you really wanted.”

“How come you never tried to talk me out of it?” Dawn asked.

Faith looked at the girl, down at her own tattoo and back to her. “Because that would be ridiculously hypocritical, don’t you think?” She turned back to the road. “Besides, I got mine at fifteen. That and you already knew what you wanted and where. If you’d wanted a tramp stamp or something, I would have put a bit of a foot down, but a Celtic Iron Cross on your bicep is about as innocent as it gets.”

Dawn smiled at that. She was glad to have it. She’d always wanted one as far back as she could remember. That her family thought she was mature enough for one made her feel good.

They pulled up to the front of the Magic Box. “You ready to train, squirt?” Faith asked.

“Oh heck yeah,” Dawn said.

Faith stepped out, letting the robot out of the back seat. “There are a couple of things we gotta get out of the way first, but we’ll get to the fun after, alright?”

Dawn nodded. “That’s cool.” She moved up the door, pulling it open. She stepped in with Faith beside her.

Suddenly the lights snapped on. “Surprise!” The group shouted. Dawn squeaked and started in shock. She giggled and looked up at the banner that stretched across the room. She turned to see Faith on her knees, staring up at the huge poster.

‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAWN AND FAITH’ was scrawled in big capital letters. Faith had never told any of the group when her birthday was. She had no idea how they even knew. She felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She didn’t expect, in a million years that anyone would have even gone to this kind of trouble.

Willow and Tara walked up beside her and lifted her to her feet. “Happy birthday, baby,” Willow said, burying her tongue in the slayer’s mouth. Tara then took her turn, giving Faith a strong, very passionate kiss.

“How did you guys know?” Faith asked. “What kind of hacking did you have to do?”

“Um…” Willow began. “We sleep next to you. And you’re about as deep a sleeper as it gets. I hacked into your jeans pocket and accessed your wallet. Driver’s license dot jpeg.”

At that moment, Faith felt rather dumb. Hindsight being what it was, it wouldn’t have been that hard to figure out.

Xander walked over and deftly slipped a small, pointed glitter covered party hat on her. “Happy birthday, Faith.” He then did the same to Dawn. “You too, Dawn.”

She grinned and gave him a big hug. “Thanks, Xander.”

Olivia turned on the radio and dragged the slender brunette out into the middle of the store. “It’s a party after all, now isn’t it?” She began dancing with the young girl.

Dawn laughed and nodded. She wasn’t a great dancer, but she had moves. She and Olivia worked well together.

At first, Willow and Tara were a little concerned, given Dawn’s penchant for wanting to emulate Faith. They wholly suspected her to dance like the dark haired slayer. That is to say, they expected to see Dawn use Olivia as a stripper pole. They were shocked, however, to see the girl keeping it clean and just sort of bouncing around, enjoying herself.

Faith pulled Willow and Tara out, Xander grabbed his girl, as did Olivia snatch Giles in close. Dawn moved over and took hold of Buffybot’s jacket, pulling her in to dance.

For the better part of the afternoon, the gang simply enjoyed the small gathering of friends and family.

After dancing, cake and ice cream, it came time for gifts. From Giles and Olivia, Dawn received a brand new DVD/Blu-Ray player. Xander and Anya bought her a host of new movies, making certain that she didn’t already own any of them. Willow and Tara had put in together for a new 52-inch flatscreen plasma TV. In addition to the tattoo, Faith had also picked her up a good space-saving entertainment center for her room. The girl was ecstatic.

“It’s not over yet.” Faith said. She pulled a small black blindfold out of her pocket. “Here. Put this on. No peaking.”

Willow and Tara put it on her. “Can you see anything?” Tara asked, waving her hand in front of Dawn’s face.

“No,” Dawn said, laughing. “You guys aren’t gonna like, push me into a swimming pool full of Jell-O or something, are you?”

“I thought you said you couldn’t see anything?” Xander asked. As Dawn blanched, he chuckled. “No, nothing like that.”

“Good. Cause I hate Jell-O.” Dawn said.

“You hate Jell-O?” Olivia asked. “Who hates Jell-O? That’s…sacrilege or something.”

Giles nodded his agreement. “I like Orange Jell-O.”

Faith laughed and took Dawn’s hands, placing them on her shoulders. “Keep a hold on me, kiddo.” She said. “Crap. You’re sixteen now. I can’t call you that anymore, can I?”

“I’ll always be kiddo to you lot,” Dawn said, happily. “No, seriously, though. Where are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.” Willow offered.

The slayer led Dawn out the back door of the shop and into the rear car park. She stopped and had Dawn face the small blue Volkswagen. “There. Now stand there for a moment. Don’t pull the blindfold off until we tell you, okay?”

Dawn nodded, excitement building. She was praying that she was outside for the reason she thought, but desperately tried not getting her hopes up. She clenched her hands touching them to her lips.

Faith saw the display, as did everyone else, and grinned widely. She carefully pulled the cover off the rig and folded it up, holding it in her arms. “You ready?” She asked the teen.

“God, yes,” Dawn said, breathlessly.

“Go ahead.” Faith said.

Dawn literally tore the blindfold off and stood, staring at the little blue Volkswagen. “Oh …my…GOD.” She moved toward it, looking it over. “You really got me a car.” She looked at Faith, Willow, and Tara. “You guys really bought me a car?”

“Everyone pitched in for it.” Faith said, first and foremost. “Everyone here thought it was time you had your own wheels.”

“We realize it’s not a BMW or Mercedes, but…” Giles began.

“It’s a Baja Bug,” Dawn said. “These things are awesome. I love it.” She moved around to the back and furrowed her brow. “Is it just me or is that a  _really_ big motor?”

“Powered by Porsche, baby. Two hundred and fifty horses. Hell of a change from the fifty or so it had originally.” Faith offered.

The teen was absolutely staggered. As she looked it all over, she started crying. She gave everyone a massive hug. “I can’t thank you guys enough for this.”

“You’ve earned it,” Willow said to her. “Happy birthday, Dawnie.”

The group eventually made their way back inside. Faith went about opening the gifts that she’d been given. Xander and Anya both sprang for a really good set of DeWalt power tools. “Now you can stop asking to borrow mine at work,” Xander said with a grin.

Giles and Olivia got her a very nice matching pair of knives, complete with a custom back scabbard that would allow her to carry them in public, provided she kept a jacket on.

Willow and Tara both told her that her gift from them was at home and would be revealed later in the night.

Suddenly the bell over the door jingled loudly. The group, as one, turned to see Spike, standing at the door in motorcycle leathers with his helmet on. Beside him, looking incredibly sheepish, stood Andrew. He had two boxes cradled in his arms. Spike pulled his helmet off and pushed the boy forward. “Found this little bugger creepin’ around out front.”

Dawn drew a wide, sinister grin. “Howdy…” She said moving toward him. “Andrew.” She reached out to brush his hair away from his face, causing him to squeak and flinch away from her.

Everyone watched the display and was left wondering about the reaction and what might have caused it.

Dawn just stood, staring at him and began laughing. Suddenly, Andrew was thinking that this was a very, very bad idea.

 


	43. Chapter 43

 

Dawn chuckled at the boy’s reaction. She stood before Andrew, reveling in his abject misery. She slowly looked down at the boxes. “For me?” She asked, softly.

He stared at her a moment. “Wh-what?”

She reached out and thumped the boxes with her index finger, causing him to flinch once again. “The boxes? Are they for me?” She asked again.

He looked down at them, almost as if seeing them for the first time. He then lifted his head back to her, nodding. “F-f-for y-you and F-Faith.” He said, offering them to her.

Dawn took them in her hands, still smiling at him. “Don’t worry so much. I’m not gonna do anything to you.” She giggled a little. “Unless you want me to.”

The gathered group watched the exchange and simply didn’t get it. Spike seemed to be loving it. He thoroughly enjoyed how miserable the boy was.

Dawn looked down at the boxes and took the one with her name on it, handing the other to Faith. “Andrew says happy birthday, Faith.”

The slayer took it in her hands, staring at the boy. “Why does little D freak you out so much?” Faith said.

He looked Dawn in the eyes, silently asking permission to tell them. She kept the sinister grin on her face and nodded, before moving to the counter to open her gift.

“Dawn came to m-my basement a few days ago. Sh-she beat the snot out of me, Warren and Jonathan. Sh-she said if we tried anything with you guys again, she was gonna take to baseball bat she took from me and use it to show us that killing us would be the kindest thing she could do.” He stared at the back at the back of the teen’s head and swallowed. She was still sniggering. “I believe her.”

Willow, Tara, Giles and Xander all looked at her with surprise and no small amount of disapproval. Faith, Anya, and Spike all smiled at her with pride. Buffybot and Olivia simply looked at the girl without any expression at all.

“Way to go, D.” Faith said, moving over and patting her shoulder. “I’m proud of you.”

Giles frowned. “That isn’t something you should be proud of, Faith.”

She looked at him. “Why not? She was just using what we taught her. These three tried their hand and got smoked. Dawn should be proud as hell for what she did.”

“Sh-she could have gotten hurt.” Tara offered.

“We were no threat to her,” Andrew said, sadly. “That’s why I quit.”

Xander whirled on him. “What do you mean, you quit?”

“I’m not a part of the Trio anymore. I threw Warren and Jonathan out.” He was hugging his arms to himself. “That’s what I came to tell you. What we were doing, the plans the scheming?” He shook his head. “None of it would have mattered. With everything you’ve all faced, we’re not a threat. We never were. At best, we were a distraction. Warren is bent on trying to take his place as a criminal mastermind. He thinks he’s Lex Luthor. He’s not gonna stop coming at you. I just wanted you to know that I wasn’t a part of it anymore.”

“Why did you join up with him in the first place?” Willow asked him.

“Because I’ve always been a loser and it was a chance to do something cool.” Andrew returned.

Xander nodded. He definitely understood where the boy was coming from.

Faith set her box down and stood in front of the boy. “You say you’re not working with him anymore. Why would we believe you? How do we know this isn’t just some sort of bullshit plot to get us to trust you?”

Andrew lifted his shirt, showing the dark purple and blue bruise across his stomach. “Because Dawn gave me this as a reminder of what she can do.”

Faith whistled. “That’s a hell of a swing.” She smiled at Dawn.

The girl was holding a large black and white photo of Boba Fett with a signature on it. She looked at Andrew with a raised eyebrow. “Um…what is this?”

“It’s a picture of Boba Fett from The Empire Strikes Back. It’s autographed by Jeremy Bulloch. He’s the guy that played Fett in Episodes Five and Six of the original trilogy.” He smiled. “Funny Fact, he also played Captain Colton in Episode Three, Revenge of the Sith.”

Dawn giggled. “Nerd.” She set it down, moved over and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.” She looked at the rest of the group. “You can trust him.”

Giles stepped forward. “What was it you three originally wanted to do?”

“Take over Sunnydale. That was the plan. Then Warren started this plan to get a lot of information on Faith.” He looked at the girl. “That was what those tests were. The time alteration, the demons, and the time loop. It was to gather information.”

“Information for what?” Faith asked. “What did that shit even tell you about me?”

“Do you really wanna know?” Andrew asked. Faith nodded. “You have aggression issues. You favor your right leg over your left, but you’re ambidextrous for the most part. You’re a bit paranoid, but not overly so. You tend to bite your lip when you concentrate. You’re a constant gum chewer, which leads us to believe that you probably smoked when you were younger, but gave it up. Probably just before, or just after you were called as a slayer. You favor close quarters combat instead of using weapons, but aren’t above it when people are in danger.”

Faith was shocked. “You learned all of that?”

He nodded. “You’d be amazed what you can learn just watching someone.” He sighed. “I’m sorry for what we did. It wasn’t supposed to get anyone hurt. At least that’s what I thought. It was Warren’s idea to send the M’Fashnik after you. It was also him that sent her to attack Willow and Dawn.” He pointed to Buffybot. “He’s out of control. It was fun when we were just playing around, doing small-time stuff. But…I’m not okay with killing people.”

“But what you three did was extremely dangerous,” Tara said. “You hurt people, Andrew.”

“Yeah, but people do that all the time. Bullies in high school did that kind of thing to us all the time. No one seemed to care then.”

“He’s got a point,” Xander said. “I never really got bullied, but these three got it pretty bad.” Willow nodded her agreement.

Faith looked at everyone and back to the boy. “Alright. We’ll give you a chance.”

“I’m not gonna keep tabs on Warren for you,” Andrew said, swallowing. “I don’t want anything to do with him. I’m pretty sure he knows I came and spoke to you. I’m already in trouble with him. I just don’t wanna have to deal with you  _and_  him.”

Faith sighed and shook her head. “We’re not gonna make you do that. It took a lot of guts to come here. And you’re right. If he’s willing to resort to second-hand murder, there’s really no limit to what he’s willing to do.” She pointed to the training room. “Go in there for a minute.”

Andrew nodded and did as he was told. As soon as he was out of earshot, Faith turned to the group. “He’s gonna need protecting.”

“I say let the little ponce dangle,” Spike said. “He dug his grave, let him lie in it.”

Xander sighed. “As much as I hate saying this, I think Spike is right. Until Dawn here went and tuned the boys up, he didn’t seem to have a problem with what Warren was doing.”

Anya nodded her agreement. “He chose to team up with them. Now he has to deal with the mess they made.”

Giles groaned and pulled his glasses off, massaging the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t exactly sure what side of the argument he came down on. Olivia leaned against him and held him tight. She really didn’t have an opinion on the whole scenario one way or another.

Willow and Tara looked at the group. “I’m surprised at all of you,” Willow said. “Okay, Spike’s response doesn’t surprise me at all, but the rest of you? I’m appalled.”

“I don’t think you all understand how weak willed Andrew is. Warren kept him in line through fear. We’ve all seen what he was capable of. What would he have done if Andrew had left earlier?” Tara offered.

“That and Warren has been keeping shit pretty low key until now. Him making Buffybot go off the reservation was a new thing. Before that, he really didn’t try killing anyone. I mean, yeah the M’Fashnik demon, but that thing was a pussy.”

Spike laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone describe a M’Fashnik demon quite like that before.”

“What? The guy was a complete pushover.” Faith said. “Dug on his pants, though. US Biker Rescue.”

“No joke?” Spike said. “They make right good leathers.”

“I know.” Faith said.

“Can we get back to the topic at hand, please?” Giles said. “Do we protect him or not?”

“We protect him.” Faith said, matter of fact. “Because at the end of the day, that’s what we do. He fucked up, plain and simple. But he also chose to come to us and lay it all out. He could’ve just skipped town but chose not to. That earns him someone watching out for him. At least until we can figure out what to do with him.”

“Any idea what that might be?” Spike asked. “Because no offense, he isn’t staying with me.”

“We’re not that cruel,” Dawn said. She looked at the photograph Andrew had given her. “What in the hell am I going to do with this?”

Xander looked at it. “I don’t know, I kinda think it’s cool. It shows thought. For Andrew to give something like this up means something.”

Faith turned and pulled the wrapping paper off her box. She pulled it open and saw a sleeveless t-shirt. She lifted it out and saw the front and started laughing. “Christ, he’s a nerd.” She turned it so that the group could see it. It boasted the image of an Advanced Dungeons and Dragons character sheet with Faith’s name and a complete workup of her in the spaces provided.

Xander and Willow both leaned in and looked at the shirt. “Well,” Xander began. “The numbers are right. Says here you have a 26 strength.” He looked at Faith. “How much can you lift?”

“About a ton, give or take.” Faith said. “Most I’ve ever tried to lift. Had to put some English on it.”

Willow nodded. “Max press for a strength of 26 in this system was what?” She looked at Xander.

“I’m not sure. I know 25 was one thousand, seven hundred and fifty pounds.” He and Willow looked at everyone as they stared at the pair with raised eyebrows.

“We’re nerds, what?” Willow offered.

Faith set the shirt down on the table. “Jesus.” She said, chuckling again. “At least he put some thought into it.” She sighed. “Alright. Here’s what we’re gonna do. We’ll cut him loose, but if he feels Warren breathing down his neck, I’m gonna have him call me to tell me then let him come to the house. We’ll put him in the basement apartment or something.”

Dawn grinned. “I can keep him in line.”

“You put the fear of god into that little pillock,” Spike said. “Good show.”

“Don’t encourage her, Spike,” Giles said.

“She ain’t gonna be a little girl forever, Giles.” The vampire said. “She’s gotta take care of herself sooner or later.”

“I’d rather it be later…” Giles said.

“Too late,” Dawn said. “But I do appreciate the concern.”

Faith looked at Buffybot. “Go ahead and bring him back in.” The robot went into the backroom and motioned Andrew to follow her. As they emerged, Faith addressed him. “This is how we’re gonna play it. If you get the feeling that Warren is getting ready to pull something, go ahead and come to our place. We’ll keep you safe. You got a cell phone?” As Andrew nodded, Faith went on. “Good. I’m gonna give you my number and the number to the house. You need help, you call us. We’ll do what we can to help.”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

“Oh, it’s okay Andrew,” Dawn said, moving over to pat the boy’s head. “Faith is willing to help you. Besides.” She looked him up and down. “She likes a good pussy.”

“Jesus, D.” Faith said, laughing.

Andrew left the Magic Box feeling a little better. Now he only had one problem to deal with. He was glad that the group was willing to forgive him for what he’d done. He knew they’d never be friends, but he could at least respect that they were willing to go to bat for him. Well, Faith, Willow, and Tara were. Dawn still scared the hell out of him. There was something in her that just radiated menace.

He really shouldn’t be surprised. Everything the girl had gone through, she was tired of being victimized. She proved when she paid the three of them a visit that she no longer thought like one. She showed that she had very, very few scruples left. To keep her friends and family safe, there was nothing she wasn’t willing to do. And that scared the shit out of him. Because Dawn was strong, fast and had skills. Worse than that, she was  _young_. And youth had a way of being creative.

He didn’t wanna be on Warren’s bad side, but he wanted to be on Dawn’s even less. Of the two evils, Warren was definitely the lesser.

Andrew was stuck in his inner monologue when he felt someone step up beside him. “Consorting with the enemy,” Warren said, stiffly. “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Andrew started and backed away from him. “Leave me alone, Warren.” He said, fearful.

“Oh, we both know that isn’t going to happen, now don’t we?” The taller boy said. “You screwed me, Andrew. You know you’re gonna have to pay for that.”

“Just leave me alone. I don’t want any part of it. I’m not playing for either side. I just went to tell them that I wasn’t a part of the Trio anymore. That I quit.”

“What else did you tell them?” Warren asked slowly walking toward the boy. “Did you rat me out?”

“No,” Andrew said, shaking his head. “I didn’t tell them anything. I told them I wasn’t going to spy on you or anything like that.”

“Good,” Warren said. “But you  _are_  going to spy on them for me. Since we don’t have the cameras anymore…”

“No, Warren. I’m not. I’m not a part of your crew anymore.” Andrew said.

“Oh yes, Andrew. You are.” Warren said. “No one quits. No one.”

“I believe he said he wasn’t interested,” Buffybot said as she walked toward the pair. “You’d best be moving on, Warren.”

He turned to the blonde robot. “Is that any way to speak to your creator?” He asked. He pulled a remote from his pocket. “I had a feeling I’d run into you again.”

“Goody for you.” Buffybot snapped. “Andrew is my friend now. No one threatens my friends.”

“This is an electromagnetic pulse. You know what that’ll do to you? Take another step and I fry your systems. Turn you into a boat anchor.” Warren said.

Buffybot didn’t slow. “You can try.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He pointed the controller at her and tapped the button on it. He felt it heat up.

The blonde bot didn’t stop coming toward him. “You look surprised.”

He pushed the button again and again. “How…how are you still moving?”

“It might be that you’re not as smart as you think you are,” Buffybot said, snatching the box out of his hand. She crushed it to scrap and tossed it over her shoulder. “Or Willow is smarter than you give her credit for.” She slammed her palm into his chest, sending him backward to the concrete.

Warren got to his feet, rubbing his chest. “You’re gonna pay for that.”

“If I’m going to be owing, I might as well rack up the bill, then huh?” She said, trotting toward him.

Warren pulled a small globe from his pocket and threw it onto the ground. In a flash of fire and smoke, he was gone.

Buffybot looked at Andrew. “Are you alright?” She asked him.

“I’m fine.” The boy said. “Why did you follow me?”

“When you said that Warren knew you had come to talk to us, Faith asked me to make sure you got home okay.” Buffybot began walking with him. “It’s very brave the way you stood up to him.”

“It didn’t feel brave. It felt stupid.” Andrew said. “He’s gonna kill me.”

“We’ll do everything we can to not let that happen,” Buffybot said to him. “Trust Faith. She knows what she’s doing.”

“How did his electromagnetic pulse not stop you?”

“My systems are shielded, thanks to Willow and her friend. They made sure that I couldn’t be incapacitated.” Buffybot grinned. “They’ve made a lot of improvements over Warren’s design.”

“I didn’t want him to send you after them. I’m sorry that happened.”

The bot sighed. “There’s nothing that can be done about it now. Just make sure you let us know when he tries something. We’ll try to be there for you.”

“He’s not gonna let me get away with leaving the group,” Andrew said. “He told me as much.”

“I’m sorry. I know this is hard for you. But you are doing the right thing.” Buffybot said. She motioned to the house. “You’re home.”

He looked up and sighed. “Thanks for helping me. I do appreciate it.”

“It’s my pleasure.” She offered. “Be careful.”

“I will.” He said, heading to the door.

She watched him and made her way to her boyfriend’s house. She had plans tomorrow that she had to discuss with him.

 

Dawn kept her foot planted as she cruised across the old abandoned parking lot. She had a huge smile on her face.

Faith sat in the passenger seat, holding onto the handle above the door. “Okay, back it off a little, Danica Patrick.”

“Sorry,” Dawn said, letting up on the gas. “This thing is just fast as heck.”

“Yeah, it’s got some power goin’ on.” Faith agreed. “But you need to be careful of that.”

Dawn twisted the wheel, putting the car into a tight turn. The tires screeched as she did so. “I can’t thank you guys enough for this.”

“I’m kinda shocked it was as big a surprise as it was. I mean, why do you think we took you to get your learner’s permit?”

“I figured it was to be able to drive the Jeep in emergencies,” Dawn said, heading for Janice’s house.

“Nope. It was so you could drive this. Which reminds me. Monday afternoon at four sharp you have your driver’s test.”

Dawn looked at her. “Do you think I’m ready?”

“If you can learn to keep your speed under control, I think you’ll do fine.”

Dawn smiled all the way. She couldn’t help but be happy as she’d ever been. She was driving behind the wheel of her own car. She looked down at her arm. The tattoo she’d gotten was still a bit red, but it looked good.

Faith stood back as Dawn showed off what she’d gotten for her birthday. Janice squeed when she saw the car and the tattoo. She was further thrilled when Dawn informed her that, as of Monday, she’d be a licensed driver.

After bidding Dawn a good night, Faith climbed behind the wheel of the teen’s car and headed home. She pulled into the driveway beside the Jeep and made sure the little blue machine was covered. Like Dawn, she wanted to make certain that it was kept in as good a condition as possible. She unlocked the front door and stopped when she saw the lights off. She could see that the upstairs bedroom light was, however, left on.

“Red? T-Bear?” Faith asked, setting her keys on the credenza beside the stairs.

“Up here, Faith,” Willow said.

The brunette climbed the stairs and slowly made her way to the bedroom she shared with her girls. She could hear  _Crimson and Clover_  by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts playing at low volume on the stereo. She gently nudged the door open.

Tara and Willow both lay on the bed, staring at her with seductive smiles on their faces. Each was dressed in just about the sexiest lingerie Faith had ever seen. Willow, of course, was clad in red while Tara was decked out in all white. “Holy shit.” Faith said, her voice filled immediately with lust.

“You’re damn right,” Willow said. “You. Naked. Now.”

Faith had never disrobed so fast in her life. She was pretty sure she ripped the shirt clean off. The pair lay her on the bed. Tara pulled Willow in and kissed her passionately. “We b-bought the lingerie yesterday while you were at work. Do you like it?”

“Humminah.” Faith said, simply. She licked her lips. “Me like.”

The pair giggled at the response. Faith was made to sit there, aroused beyond words as Tara slowly pulled Willow’s outfit off one article at a time. Willow, naked as could be, followed suit with Tara.

The pair then pushed Faith back on the bed, staring down at her with sex darkened eyes. “Happy birthday, baby.” Willow offered, kissing the brunette slayer with love and intensity.

“Tonight is all about you,” Tara said, giving her love a like kiss. “Hope you can h-handle it.”

“I’m gonna do my best.” Faith said. “Or die tryin’.”

“Oh, we aren’t gonna allow that,” Tara said.

“Nope,” Willow said, sliding her hands down the dark haired beauty’s tight stomach. “We aren’t gonna be that nice.”

 


	44. Chapter 44

 

Faith stood at the stove, making breakfast. Dawn sat at the island, watching the slayer and smiling brightly. “I cannot get over how cute Connor is.” The teen offered, idly. “He looks so like his daddy.”

The brunette slayer nodded. “Yeah, he does. Good call on the playpen.”

“Well, he’s gonna be needing it, here pretty soon,” Dawn said. She turned as Willow, Tara and Buffybot came into the kitchen. “Good morning.”

The three each hugged the girl. “Good morning to you, too,” Tara said. “I see Faith beat us to the punch and has breakfast nearly ready.” She pulled the brunette in for a kiss.

“Mornin’ T-bear.” Faith said, returning the embrace.

“Sexy slayer girlfriend,” Willow said, kissing her. “Gotta love that.”

“Especially one that cooks,” Buffybot said, smiling. She again turned and looked down at her hip. The tattoo she received was covered by her shirt and her pants, but she still couldn’t believe she’d gotten it. Daniel had been beside himself. Ronnie had done wonderful work.

Faith turned to the robot. “So, you’ve gone over what you’re going to say to the Social Worker?”

Buffybot nodded. She looked at Dawn. “We’re not going to let them take you away, Dawn.” She said, seriously.

The teen smiled. “I know.” She hugged the blonde bot again. She tore into the pancakes that Faith set in front of her. “I’m not really worried about it. You work a good job, the house is meticulous, thanks to you.”

The blonde grinned. “I want to make a good impression. You should hurry up, though. You only have a half hour before you have to be at school.”

Dawn looked at her watch. “Oh, snap.” She quickly blasted through her food.

Faith pulled her lunch from the fridge. “Here you are, kiddo. I just wrapped some slices of Pizza for you from what he had left over last night.”

“Still kinda surprises me that we had leftovers,” Willow said, chuckling as she began eating her own pancakes.

“Oh, come on. I don’t eat that much.” Faith said, sheepishly.

“You ate an entire extra large pizza by yourself,” Tara said. “And still had room for wings.”

“I spent the night with Spike last night and that didn’t sound anywhere near as bad in my head.” Faith said, lowering her head with a groan.

The girls all giggled. “It’s okay, sweetie,” Tara said, smirking. “We know you were patrolling.”

“Not sure why, but the town was dead last night.” Faith said. “I don’t like it.”

“Well…isn’t that a good thing?” Willow asked.

“Not necessarily.” Dawn offered. “If it’s too quiet, it could mean that something extremely bad is on the rise. Vampires tend to wanna stay out of the way of anything seriously sinister.” She looked at Faith. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you wanna field that one?”

“I was just gonna say I didn’t know, but that was pretty good.” Faith said, smiling. “How did you know that?”

“Last year when we were dealing with Glory, Buffy still patrolled but didn’t really find much. A lot of nights, she would come up dry. That and I talked to Giles about you not finding any vampires lately. He said something like that.” She downed her orange juice and gathered her lunch. “And with that, I’m out.” He hugged the girl and gave Buffybot a peck on the cheek. “Good luck today.”

The robot nodded. “Thanks, Dawnie.”

Slowly, over the next hour, Tara and Willow both finished up their breakfasts and headed for school, each carrying the lunches that Faith prepared for them. Faith wished Buffybot luck and headed for the construction site, leaving the blonde robot alone in the house.

Buffybot moved over and stood in front of the door. She crossed her arms and waited patiently. She had made certain that her paperwork was in order, including her pay stubs, the mortgage statement for the house and all the bills to show that everything was current and up to date.

A knock on the door sounded out. Buffybot open to door to see a round-faced woman with glasses and a clipboard. “Oh, you must be Buffy.” The woman said, smiling. “I’m Doris Kroeger from Social Services.”

The blonde offered her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please.” She said, stepping aside.

Doris entered the house and smiled as she saw the cleanliness of the home. “I can see that you take your duties as a role model for your sister very seriously.”

Buffybot nodded. “I do my best.”

“I’m sure you do,” Doris said. “And from what I can see, you’re doing a fine job.” She made a notation on the clipboard. “Let’s have a seat and discuss things, shall we?”

“Would you like something to drink?” Buffybot asked.

“I’m fine, but thank you.” The woman said, sitting on the sofa near the coffee table. “I’m glad to see you were prepared.” She took the file folder off the table that Buffy had placed there and began sifting through it. “It says here you’re the assistant manager of the Doublemeat Palace.”

“I am,” Buffybot said, sitting politely with her hands in her lap. Faith, Willow, and Tara had all drilled into her that she should only answer direct questions with direct answers. Only to provide the information the woman asked for and no more. Willow had even gone online to find interview transcripts of visits such as this to highlight both things that Buffybot should and should not divulge.

Doris looked at her and nodded. “That’s wonderful. It looks like you manage the finances quite well. I’ve been given to understand that there is more than just you and Dawn living on the premises.”

“There are three others living with us. Faith, Tara, and Willow.” She moved to the desk and pulled three more file folders out. She secretly thanked the Watcher’s Council for giving Faith a new background that would stand up to scrutiny. If the woman learned that there was a recently released convicted killer living in the home, things would turn quite sour, quite rapidly. “This is their information.”

Doris smiled taking the folders. She opened them and looked all of it over. Faith Lehane was a simple construction worker, making very good money. Tara and Willow were both enrolled in UC Sunnydale and were well on their way to their respective degrees. “If you don’t mind me asking…”

“Of course not,” Buffybot said, cheerfully.

Doris looked at her. “Why do they live here?”

“When mom passed away, it was traumatic for both of us. I’m not that old. I admit that I wasn’t quite up to dealing with the funeral services and all that came along with it. Willow and Tara moved in to help me take care of Dawn. It was more for moral support than anything else. I’ve been friends with Willow since I was a sophomore in high school and I’ve known Tara since she and Willow started dating two years ago.”

Doris’ face turned sour. “You have a lesbian couple living here?”

Buffybot nodded. The pair had strictly forbidden her from informing the woman that they were in a three-way relationship with Faith. But they didn’t say anything about her telling the woman that they were lesbians. “Willow and Tara are very much in love.”

“I can’t say I approve of that.” She said, her tone sharp. “Having a gay couple in the home…”

“Dawn doesn’t mind. She likes Tara and Willow. They’re a great influence on her. Willow often assists Dawn with her homework and teaches her good study habits. Tara is very calming and helps out with the housework and cooking. As does Faith.”

Doris set the paperwork down and jotted something on the clipboard. Buffybot frowned. “Why did you write that?”

“What do you mean?” Doris asked.

“You wrote that you’re suggesting a probationary period.” She shook her head. “You can’t do that.”

“I only have Dawn’s best interests at heart.” She said. “And it’s my personal belief that having a lesbian couple living in the home isn’t exactly the kind of environment that Dawn should be raised in.”

“You are aware of what you’ve just done,” Buffybot said. “You just admitted to discrimination based on sexual orientation, Ms. Kroeger.”

“I did nothing of the kind.”

“ _I only have Dawn’s best interests at heart. And it’s my personal belief that having a lesbian couple living in the home isn’t exactly the kind of environment that Dawn should be raised in.”_ Buffybot repeated in a pitch-perfect copy of Doris’ own voice. She shook her head. “You can’t make a recommendation based on personal opinion. You have to base it on fact. Dawn is getting good grades in school. She is being provided for, and she is happy. Based on those _facts_  you can’t remove her from my custody, under California state Law.”

Doris stood and gathered everything. “Well, we’ll just see about that.”

Buffybot rose from her seat. “If you do that, you’ll be sorry.”

“Threats, Miss Summers?” Doris said, raising an eyebrow. “You realize you just threatened a Federal Employee?”

“I wouldn’t worry about that, Ms. Kroeger,” Buffybot said, moving to the door. “If you pursue this, the law isn’t going be involved.”

Doris blanched. “What do you mean?”

“Leave me and my family alone and you won’t have to find out.” She stood with the door open. “Good day, Ms. Kroeger.”

The woman left the house, visibly trembling. “We’ll be in touch.”

“You’d better hope not,” Buffybot said, slamming the door. She immediately walked over and sat on the sofa. She wasn’t sure what to do. No one had prepared her for this. She sighed and stood. She needed to talk to someone about this. The construction site was closer than the school. She would talk to Faith. She left the house, locking up as she went.

 

Warren sat at the table, gently placing the massive diamond into the receptacle on top of the large, gaudy-looking silver rifle-like device. He lifted a silver ring and snapped it into place over the gemstone, securing it firmly. “Okay, that’s it. It’s finally done.” Jonathan moved from the front of the van, looking at it. “I mean, it still needs a trial run, but it’s…”

“Kinda clunky-lookin’.” The smaller boy said.

“What?” Warren said, whirling on him.

“I pictured something cooler. More ILM, less Ed Wood.” Jonathan offered, chewing on a piece of jerky.

“You wanna see cool?” Warren asked, standing up. “I’ll show you cool.” He turned the ray toward the bean bag chair in the back of the van. An eruption of light streaked from the end of the weapon, engulfing the chair. The plush red seat immediately vanished.

Jonathan was staggered. He pushed past Warren, moving toward it. “Mama.” He said, shocked. He reached out and touched the seat. “It’s…” He looked at Warren. He then stepped over and sat down in the chair. For all intents and purposes, it looked as though he was floating a few inches off the floor. He laughed and nodded. “I’d call that a successful test.”

Warren grinned. “Oh, that’s just half the test.” He flipped a switch on the ray and fired at the chair as Jonathan sat on it. The boy put his hands over his face as the chair reappeared.

Jonathan quickly inspected himself then shot out of the chair. “You penis.” He snapped.

“Oh, cheer up, Frodo,” Warren said, grinning widely. “Because thanks to my brains, and our mystical gem, we got ourselves an invisibility ray. And I’d say that makes us pretty much unstoppable.” He lifted the rifle up and stood staring smugly at the slighter boy. “You know what time it is.”

Jonathan nodded. “Oh yeah, I do.” He moved up to the front of the van and fired it up. “I can’t believe we’re actually gonna do it. I’ve always wanted to.”

Warren took the passenger seat. “It’s gonna be epic.” He said as they drove along. He smiled as Jonathan pulled into the alley. They both stepped out.

“I’m scared, what if we get caught?” Jonathan said, suddenly. “Oh, wait.” He chuckled. “We’ll be invisible. Plus their security has gotten lax.”

Warren chuckled. “You would know. You’ve cased this joint enough.” The pair rounded the corner to the front of the Women’s Day Spa. Text along the bottom of window advertised ‘Bikini Wax Wednesday’. “Okay, this is it,” Warren said, turning toward Jonathan. He pulled the rifle out of the black bag he carried it in. “Remember. We’re professionals.”

Jonathan giggled, then stopped suddenly. “Um…slayer…bot.”

“Where?” Warren said, looking around.

“There.” Jonathan pointed across the street. The blonde robot walked with a purpose. She looked both ways and began crossing the street.

Warren stared at her a moment and turned to look at Jonathan, to see him gone. He suddenly realized that the ray was no longer in his hand. “What the…?” He ran around the corner to see Jonathan powering up the ray. He grabbed it, trying to pull it from the smaller boy.  
“Don’t!” Warren said, wrestling with him.

“I need to be invisible. So she can’t see me.”

“You’re gonna…” Warren snapped. The weapon discharged, slamming into Buffybot as she crossed in front of the alley. The beam streaked across the landscape hitting a tree, a fire hydrant, some traffic cones, and a Dumpster. All of them immediately disappeared.

“Oopsie,” Jonathan said, releasing his hold on the ray gun.

“Yeah,” Warren said, backing toward the van. “Big oopsie.”

 

Buffybot staggered as she felt some sort of energy hit her. She reached for a tree and steadied herself. She looked about for the source of the…whatever it was and couldn’t see anything. She sighed and shook her head. She continued walking and glanced at her reflection in the window…to see that she no longer had one. She stopped and turned full-on toward the glass. “What the heck?” She said. She lifted her hands to look at them and couldn’t see herself. “This isn’t good.” She was starting to panic. “Giles.” She said, turning toward the Magic Box. “I need Giles.”

The bell jingled as she stepped in. “Good morning, welcome to the…” Anya looked up from the counter and stopped as she saw the door open and close, but no one walk in. “Are you a ghost?” She asked as she moved out from behind the register.

Giles turned toward the door. “Anya, who are you talking to?” He asked, looking about.

“No, I’m not a ghost. I’m me.” Buffybot said from her spot by the door. “Something happened to me and now I’m invisible. I need you to find out what it is.”

Giles rose from his seat at the table and moved over, reaching out. He felt her…he snatched his hand back. “Ahem. Sorry.”

The invisible bot giggled. “That’s alright. It’s not like you can tell where you’re putting your hands.”

“Have…have you been feeling ignored lately?” He asked.

“No. Everyone treats me very well and Daniel pays plenty of attention to me. Especially to my…”

“That’s fine.” Giles interrupted, pulling his glasses off and cleaning them. “I understand.”

“I know what happened,” Anya said, looking at Giles. “Warren’s invisibility ray. He must have gotten it working.”

“But I don’t understand,” Giles said, leaning against the table. “Why would he want to make Buffybot invisible? More than anyone, she has a personal vendetta to settle. What with him sending her after Willow and Dawn against her will. That would just make her more dangerous, wouldn’t it?”

“I don’t think it was intentional,” Buffybot said. “I’m reviewing what was around me at the moment of impact. Several other things were made invisible as well. A tree, a fire hydrant, three traffic cones, and a Dumpster. I think it was an accident.”

Giles rubbed his eyes. “Where were you when you got attacked?”

“I was just walking past the Women’s Day Spa.”

He sighed heavily. “Trust boys to be boys.”

“What? Is that an important clue? Why would they want to make a Day Spa invisible?” Anya asked him.

“They weren’t. They were more than likely going to make themselves invisible and spy on the women in the spa.” Giles shook his head. “Our fearsome super villains ladies and gentlemen.”

“It gets worse,” Buffybot said. “I’m being put on probation as Dawn’s guardian.”

That surprised everyone. “What? Why?” Giles asked.

“We made sure that all of the paperwork was in order. Did they find out you’re a robot? No. They found out about Faith, didn’t they? They know she’s a murderer.”

“No, it wasn’t any of that,” Buffybot said, sadly. “It was because of Willow and Tara.”

“What do they have against Willow and Tara?” Giles asked. “They’re both wonderful influences on Dawn.”

“But they’re gay,” Buffybot said.  _”I only have Dawn’s best interests at heart. And it’s my personal belief that having a lesbian couple living in the home isn’t exactly the kind of environment that Dawn should be raised in.”_  Again she repeated what the woman said.

“That smacks incredibly of discrimination,” Giles said.

“I could contact D’Hoffryn,” Anya said. “I’m sure Halfrek would be more than willing to…”

“No, Anya. We’re not going to summon a vengeance demon to deal with this situation.” Giles said to the woman. “Yet.” That made Anya smile.

Buffybot was suddenly stricken with an idea. “I’ve got my cell phone if you two find anything out.”

“What are you going to do?” Giles asked her.

“I’m going to go and have a word with Social Services.” The blonde robot said as she made her way out.

“But you’re invisible,” Giles said.

“She knows,” Anya said, grinning. “That’s the point.”

“Oh, bloody…” Giles said, exasperated as the bell over the door sounded.

 

Ms. Kroeger sat idly at her desk, reviewing her case files. She took a sip of her coffee and set it down, returning to her work.

“It isn’t fair, you know.” A voice said to her.

Doris turned to the co-worker in the cubicle beside her. “I’m sorry, what?”

The blonde woman looked at her. “I didn’t say anything.”

“Huh,” Doris said, scratching her head. “I thought I heard you say something.”

“Nope.”

“My mistake. Sorry.” She went back to the papers.

“Letting personal beliefs affect your job performance. That’s very unprofessional, Ms. Kroeger. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

The woman’s eyes snapped over to the blonde. “If you have something to say, just come out with it.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” The coworker said. “I didn’t say a damn thing.”

“You aren’t fooling me. You said that it wasn’t fair. Then you said that I shouldn’t let personal feelings affect my job performance.”

“No, Doris. I didn’t.” The woman said. “I haven’t said anything to you all day. You looked busy, so I’ve left you alone.”

“You sure you’re not the one…”

“No, Doris. It isn’t her. It’s all in your head.” Buffybot whispered into the woman’s ear.

Doris shot to her feet. “Shut up!”

The blonde woman raised an eyebrow. “Are you alright?”

“I…” She looked around. “I need to use the restroom.” She rocketed off toward the bathrooms.

Buffybot moved over and looked for the case file marked Dawn Summers. “Brownies!” She said, happily. She quickly looked at Doris’ handwriting and took a pen, immediately scratching an additional note on the paperwork in a perfect imitation of the woman’s penmanship. “That’s gonna put bee in her botox.”

Buffybot looked down and saw Doris’ purse. She saw the woman’s cell phone and grinned. She lifted it and knelt behind the desk, recording a message for the woman. She then stepped back a pace, waiting.

“Uh, Doris!” A tall man in a powder blue button down shirt with rolled up sleeves and a red, gray and cream checkered tie approached her as she came out of the bathroom. “I’ve, uh, got a few, so if you wanna discuss that case file now…”

Ms. Kroeger looked at him a moment. “What? Oh! Oh yes, the, um, Summers file, it’s, uh, it’s right over here.” She went to her desk, picked up a file and gave it to him. He began looking through it. “Uh, it’s a sixteen-year-old girl, living under her older sister’s guardianship. The house is a-a-a flop…”

He looked at her angrily. “What is this?” He asked. “In the notes here. ‘I don’t think leaving Dawn with a pair of filthy homos is the right thing to do. I haven’t met the girls, but I think they shouldn’t be allowed within a hundred yards of her. Despite having a good job, steady income and a sound financial handle on things. I hate Lesbos and think they’re disgusting’.”

Doris blanched. “What?”

He showed her the notes. She was shocked beyond words. “I…I didn’t write that.” She said, staring at him. She was visibly trembling. “You have to believe me, I didn’t write that.”

“This is all your handwriting, Doris.” He said to her. “I…” He looked at it again and shook his head. “We can’t have this. This is unacceptable. California has been allowing gay couples to raise children for over thirty years, Doris. Asking to strip a girl from her older sister because she’s gay is discrimination.”

“B-Buffy isn’t gay. Th-there’s a lesbian couple in the house…”

“And you’ve explained in detail why you don’t like that idea, now didn’t you?” He closed the file. “I’m sorry, Doris but I’m going to have to let you go. I can’t have this kind of thing in our office.”

“But I didn’t write that!” Doris screamed. “I’m not…I don’t…”

Buffybot pushed the play button on the woman’s phone, putting it on speaker. She made sure the message would repeat.

“ _I only have Dawn’s best interests at heart. And it’s my personal belief that having a lesbian couple living in the home isn’t exactly the kind of environment that Dawn should be raised in.”_  The passage played over and over again.

“You’re not?” He asked her. “You don’t?” He shook his head. “Get out of this office. Before I have security throw you out. We’ll have to review all of your cases. You should be ashamed of yourself, Doris.” He moved to her desk, turned her phone off and tossed it to her. “Oh, and for the record. My daughter is a lesbian. She and her  _wife_  are raising a beautiful baby girl.”

Buffybot giggled and walked past her. “See ya round, Doris.” She said to the woman causing her to start physically. She left the office whistling the tune of  _Symphony of Destruction_  by Megadeth.

 


	45. Chapter 45

“She’s what?” Faith asked as she leaned against the side of her Roadrunner. While at work, she normally had her phone powered off. During her lunch break, as always, she checked her messages. Noticing she’d received a call from Giles, she decided to call him back. Xander sat in the car listening to her.

“Invisible.” The Watcher reiterated. “We believe we know who is behind it.”

“Warren?” Faith asked, looking at Xander. “He got that invisibility ray that Amy was talking about finished.”

“We believe so. The only issue we run into is that with them no longer holed up in Andrew’s basement, we have no idea where he and Jonathan could be.”

Faith sighed heavily. “Good point. Our priority right now should be getting double B visible again. We’ll worry about the blunder twins later.”

“I’ve uh…” Giles looked about at the table with books strewn about. “I’ve been researching whether we have a magical way to restore her. I-I’ve got some ideas, but most of them seem to be reliant on the cause of the invisibility being purely magical in nature. Given that this is a blend of science and possible mysticism…”

“We’re kinda walking blind.” Faith said, nodding.

“Precisely,” Giles said. “I’m almost loathe to attempt any of the spells I have on account of I don’t know how they’ll interact with whatever is affecting Buffy.”

“No, that’s a good point. Magic is pretty unpredictable. Look, I’m gonna talk to Tony and see about getting cut loose early today…” Xander pointed to himself and nodded. “Xander wants to lend a hand, too. We’ll be there in a bit.”

“Very well. I’ll talk to you when you arrive.” Giles said, ending the call.

Faith tucked her phone back into her pocket and looked at Xander. “Let’s go talk to the bossman.” She said, tossing her empty soda bottle into the trash can as they walked past. Tony stood at a small table looking over a set of electrical schematics. “Hey, Tony.” Faith said, looking somewhat despondent. “Xan and me gotta bail.”

He looked at them with a raised eyebrow. “Everything alright?”

“Family emergency. I had my phone off and just checked my messages. It ain’t somethin’ that can wait until after shift.”

He bit his lip, looked at his watch and turned toward the building. They were still quite a few days ahead of schedule. He returned his eyes to hers and Xander’s. “I suppose it won’t be a problem.”

“Normally we wouldn’t leave you in a lurch like this, but it’s pretty important,” Xander said.

“Yeah, it takes a lot to keep you from work.” He patted the pair on the shoulder. “Go take care of business. I might need you to pick up a couple more hours next week to get us done under deadline and get that fat bonus.”

“I hear that.” Faith said. “Thanks, Tony.”

“No problem. See you tomorrow.” He said, going back to work.

The pair left and headed for their cars. Minutes later, they pulled up to the Magic Box. Faith stepped in to see Giles with his head buried in a book. “Alright, so how did this happen?” Faith asked, taking a chair and straddling the back.

Xander moved over and kissed his fiancé.

Giles deliberately didn’t look at the pair. “Buffy was simply walking down the street and felt something hit her and she was invisible.”

“Don’t make sense to make a slayer-bot invisible. Especially one that’s pissed off at you.” Faith said. “I know Warren ain’t exactly the fastest car in the race, but he ain’t that stupid.”

“We believe it to have been an accident. A-A faulty discharge of some kind.” Giles said.

Faith snickered. “Figures he couldn’t hold his charge.”

Giles immediately pulled his glasses off and massaged the bridge of his nose. “I bloody walked right into that one, didn’t I?”

Faith gave another chuckle and shook her head. “Where is she now?”

“She went to visit Ms. Kroeger at the Social Services Office.” Anya offered. “Apparently, she was going to put her on probation as Dawn’s guardian.”

“What? Why?” Faith asked, rising to her feet. “She’s got everything they asked for.”

“She found out that Tara and Willow were a couple.” Giles offered.

“So what? Lesbian couples adopt kids all the time in this state. They’ve been doing it for decades.” Faith said. “Who cares if T-bear and Red are bangin’ each other? Double B’s straight.”

“Yes, but Ms. Kroeger felt that Dawn being raised in a home with a lesbian couple wasn’t appropriate.” Giles countered.

“So double B went to tune her ass up?” Faith asked. He nodded. “Good. Bitch deserves it for being a bigoted asshole.”

“Buffy stated that she has her cell phone if we need to get in touch with her,” Anya said.

Faith nodded. “Alright. Tweed, keep looking for anything that might help. Xan, you and me are gonna go and check out where this happened. See if we can find anything.”

“Would it help if you had something from the site to look over?” Xander asked.

“It could very well, yes,” Giles said. “She said that there were other objects near her. Perhaps if you could bring back one of the traffic cones that she stated was in the area, it might help us understand what happened to her.”

“We’re on it.” Faith said, nodding. “Let’s roll.” A couple moments later, they pulled into the alley beside the Day Spa. A tall lean figure in motorcycle leathers and a black gloss helmet stood with a rattle can spraying red paint over a dumpster that was still partially invisible. Faith looked over and saw the old school Harley sitting off to the side of the alley.

She and Xander stepped out of the car and headed toward him. As they approached, Spike turned and flipped up the visor on his helmet. Given that he was in the shade of the alley, he wasn’t in danger of bursting into flames. “Got a call from Giles when he couldn’t reach you.” He motioned to the area. “Thought I’d come down and check things out.”

“Yeah, we figured out who did it. We just have no idea where they are.” Xander said to him.

He nodded. “I been trying to make things all visible again. I do know that they sped out in a bloody hurry.” He pointed to the ground. “Goodyear Wrangler LT225/75R16/D. Highway tires.” He pulled something out of his pocket. “And when they took off they clipped the invisible fire hydrant.” He tossed it to Faith.

She looked it over and nodded. “Good lookin’ out.” She stuffed it into her own pocket as Xander began looking around the area. “According to Tweed, there were some traffic cones around here, somewhere. We’re supposed to take one back to…”

“Found it,” Xander said, hopping around on one knee. “The fire hydrant.”

“You find any traffic cones?” Faith asked him.

He began shuffling his feet and stopped. “I think so.”

Spike lowered his visor and moved out, kneeling beside it. He sprayed over it. Slowly, it took shape. “Here we are.” He said. “Paint’s fast drying. Give it a moment.” After a few seconds, he lifted it and handed the cone to Faith. “There you are.”

“Thanks.” She said, heading toward the car. “I just hope double B isn’t getting into any trouble.”

 

Daniel started when he heard the knock on his door. He sighed and got up from the sofa and made his way, opening it. He was a bit surprised to see no one there. He stepped out onto the front porch and looked about. Seeing no one, he shrugged and closed the door, going back to the sofa.

He sat down and propped his feet up on the coffee table. A heartbeat later, something shoved his feet down onto the floor. His heart began pumping. He watched as the table itself slid back. He was suddenly, very,  _very_  afraid. “H-hello?” He asked, uneasily.

“Boo,” Buffybot said in a raspy whisper. She couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s reaction. She knew it was a little on the cruel side playing on his fear like this, but she couldn’t help herself. She was having too much fun.

“Wh-wh-what are you?” He asked, desperately looking around. “What do you want?” He felt a weight settle across his lap. It was warm and soft. “Please don’t hurt me.” He said, piteously.

“I’m not gonna hurt you, baby,” Buffybot said, softly entwining her fingers in his hair.

“Buffy?” He asked, shocked. “Is that you?” He felt a strong grip on his wrists and pull them around to a pert bottom.

“Who else?” She said, happily. “Yes, I’m invisible.”

“I can see that. Or I can’t…see…I…I noticed.” He stammered. “Why are you invisible?”

“Long story.” She said to him. She leaned and kissed him.

He had to admit a certain amount of arousal at the prospect of making love to an invisible woman. And a certain amount of discomfort…at the prospect of making love to an invisible woman. As he felt the button and zipper of his jeans opening, he quickly realized that it really didn’t matter what he saw, or didn’t see.

 

Faith sat, looking through the books on the table. “God, now I remember why I never did the research.” She leaned back in the chair and rubbed her eyes with the butt of her hands. “Goin’ blind over here.” Giles looked at her, not amused. She looked at him and smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.”

He sighed and sat back. “No…you’re right.” He looked at the collected tomes. “We’ve got nothing to go on. U-unless we can get our hands on the invisibility ray that Warren used, we’ve really got few options.”

“Oh, I got it!” Anya said from across the table.

“Really?” Xander asked.

She nodded. “Why don’t we just go to the police? We’re looking for a black van, right? We just have to get them to find the van for us.”

Faith shook her head. “Wouldn’t work. There’s really no reason for us to get a BOLO put out for it. I saw the tags for it. It’s up to date and all the equipment works. Cops have no reason to look for it. If we report something illegal about it, we get in trouble for false information.”

Xander nodded. “It was a good idea, though.” He said, patting her arm.

She sighed and went back to the volumes.

Faith stood up and began pacing. “Without knowing where they are, those two little shits just got a lot more dangerous.”

Giles looked at her. “And you encouraged Dawn to go on her rampage.”

“Don’t even go there, Tweed. Little D earned that outburst and then some.” Faith said.

“Going off half-cocked…”

“She just lost her mother and her fuckin’ sister. Not to mention having gone through hell over the past year. No, fuck that. She deserved being able to not be the victim for once. I’m never gonna be down on her for what she did. It was a good move. It made her feel better and it gave us thirty-three percent less to deal with.”

He sighed and leaned back, massaging his eyes. “I know, you’re right. It’s just…”

“It would have been better to know where they are,” Xander said, simply. “When they were at Andrew’s we had a bead on them. Now, we don’t. Like it or not, that  _is_  Dawn’s fault, Faith. Not saying she didn’t earn a little bit of payback. It was just a very rash thing to do.”

The slayer leaned against the counter. “I’m not arguin’ that. It’s just…I’m not gonna blame her for this. Her fault or not. I ain’t doin’ it. She deserved this.”

Anya groaned and reached out to grab the traffic cone. It suddenly grew soft and almost mushy in under her fingers. “Ew! Xander!” She lifted her fingers. They were coated in a filmy reddish residue.

“What happened?” He asked, looking at her hand.

Giles immediately leaned in to look. Faith stepped back to the table, leaning down.

“An unpleasant tactile experience. Like putting my hand in pudding.” Anya said, disgust plainly written across her face.

Xander reached out and touched the cone. It slopped and partially collapsed onto the table. He turned to Giles and Faith. “That’s not good.”

“Like pudding, am I right? Rice, or tapioca, lumpy like that.”

Faith looked at Giles. “We gotta get double B. She’s gotta know.”

Anya shrugged, cleaning her hand off. “I don’t think Buffy’s gonna be too broken up over a traffic cone.”

“No. Faith is right. Whatever’s happening to the pylon will probably happen to her. If we don’t find Buffy, I-I mean ... if we don’t figure out how this was done…” Giles let the statement hang.

Anya looked back and forth. “She’s pudding?” She asked.

 

Warren sat at the workbench inside the van, tinkering with the invisibility ray.

Jonathan stood in the back of the van, leaning against the wall. He wasn’t pleased at all at the news Warren had just given him. He wanted clarification. “What do you mean she’s gonna fade away?”

Warren didn’t look up from his work. “The slayer-bot got slammed with a big-ass dose of radiation when the gun overloaded. Her entire physiology is mutating at an accelerated rate. Eventually, her molecular makeup will start losing its integrity and then ‘pfft’.” He made a gesture with his hand, like an explosion.

Jonathan frowned. “But, wouldn’t that kill her?”

Warren looked up a moment. “Well, lemme think.” He turned to the slighter boy. “Yeah!”

Jonathan stepped toward Warren. “Wait a minute! We’re not killing anybody.”

Warren sighed, pulling his safety goggles off. “You are so immature!” He tossed them on the table and turned to Jonathan. “First off, she’s a robot. Second…We’re villains!” He snapped angrily. “When are you gonna get that through your thick skull?”

Jonathan glared at him. “It doesn’t matter of she’s a robot. She’s got friends, family, and a life, Warren. We’re not killers, we’re crime lords!” He motioned about. “Like, like Lex Luthor.” He picked up a comic book. “He’s always trying to take over Metropolis, but he doesn’t kill Superman!”

Warren looked at him incredulously. “Because it’s Superman’s book, you moron!” He shouted.

Jonathan didn’t let the point go. “But Lex doesn’t kill him, does he?” Warren rolled his eyes in exasperation, but the short brunette boy held his ground. “Listen, Warren…” He pointed at the gun. “You get that ray working and the first thing we’re gonna do is find Buffy and re-visible her before it’s too late!”

Warren stood and towered over Jonathan, doing his best to intimidate him. But Jonathan was used to staring up at people. He dealt with people far more intimidating than Warren Mears.

“You got me?” Jonathan snapped.

Warren sighed and gave him a smirk. “Fine.” He said, taking his seat and going back to work. “Whatever you say.”

 

Faith trotted up to the front door and knocked. A moment later, it opened with Daniel looking a bit…worn out. “Oh, hi Faith.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle. “Hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“No, we’re done.” He blurted. He suddenly looked sheepish. “I-I mean, we…that is…”

“Don’t worry about it. I already know.” Faith said. “I need to take Buffy back to the Magic Box. We’ve got a bit of news on her whole invisibility problem.”

“I’m here,” Buffybot said from behind Daniel. The boy jumped as she giggled. “I like your butt.”

“Apparently.” He said to her. “Look. Go and get better…or…” He huffed. “I find myself at a complete loss for words when I’m around you.”

Faith laughed heartily. “Welcome to love, bro.” She said, patting his shoulder. “Come on, B. Let’s motor.” She watched as Daniel was pressed back against the door and kissed. She’d honestly never seen someone get kissed without a partner. It was pretty bizarre. “Oh, that’s gonna stick with me.” She said, turning toward the car.

Buffybot climbed in beside her. “What did you find out?”

Faith looked sullen. “That we have to get Warren and his invisibility ray as soon as humanly possible.”

“Why?” The bot asked.

“Because if we don’t, you’re gonna turn into pudding.” Faith said, pulling away from the curb. She headed for the Magic Box.

“What kind of pudding?”

“Robo-pudding.” Faith said. “One of the traffic cones that was hit when you were kinda turned to sludge. It…broke down or something. We’re afraid the same thing might happen to you.” Faith shook her head. “I ain’t gonna let that happen.”

“I appreciate that. I have to work tomorrow.” Buffybot said.

“Yeah. That’s the priority.” Faith said, chuckling. She pulled up to a stoplight. “I wouldn’t really be worrying about your…” She stopped talking as she looked across the intersection. Warren sat behind the wheel of the black Dodge Conversion Van. “No fuckin’ way.” She said, pointing. “Look.”

“Oh. Warren.” Buffybot said.

Faith made eye contact with him. He immediately shifted into reverse and squealed the tires. She jammed the accelerator, shifted into gear and took off in pursuit. She blasted through the red light, easily gaining on him. She could hear the boy wind out the 7.2 liter V-8. She actually chuckled. “Really Warren? You’re gonna try to outrun me in a Conversion Van?” She quickly closed up with him.

He took a corner at speed. The right tires came up off the ground as he did so.

Faith shook her head. “Christ. Kid’s gonna get himself killed.”

“How are you going to get him to stop?” Buffybot asked.

Faith looked at her and mentally kicked herself, turning back to the road. “That’s a damn good question.” She shook her head. “I try pitting him I could send him off the road and into who knows what. I can’t pull up alongside and force him over because he’s got like, twice my weight.”

“Maybe we can get into the van somehow,” Buffybot said. “Stop it from the inside.”

Faith grinned. “Grab the wheel. Keep us straight. I’m gonna climb out onto the roof. When I do, get over here and keep up with him.” She released her seatbelt and let go of the wheel.

Buffybot immediately grabbed it. “I’ve got it.” Faith easily slid out of the car and moved onto the roof in a crouch. The invisible bot slid over and settled into the driver’s seat. She’d done extensive research on driving since their trip back from Los Angeles. Now, she was quite adept at it. She kept a hand on the wheel and a hand on the shifter.

To the surrounding pedestrians, the display was one of pure bewilderment. The black van and the tuned muscle car were bumper to bumper as they sped through town. The brunette stood on top of the car with the wind whipping her hair. Behind the wheel of the car…sat nobody. The car appeared to be driving itself.

“Now that’s something you don’t see every day.” Brenda, the front desk clerk of the small gallery said.

Olivia lifted her head, saw nothing and shrugged, going back to work.

“Get closer.” Faith said. She was about to jump when Warren took another corner. Again the van tipped dangerously. “Jesus kid.” Faith said, gritting her teeth. She held on as Buffy drifted around the corner. She again closed up. As soon as the bumper of the Roadrunner touched the rear of the van, Faith stepped down onto the hood of her car and leapt up onto the top of the big black van.

She knelt held onto the roof. She lay down and dragged herself along the top. Suddenly the van began to swerve this way and that. She held on for dear life. The van screeched to a stop. “Oh shit.” She said as she shot forward off the top of the rig and flew onto the concrete. She tucked into a somersault and came to her feet. She turned in time to see the van racing toward her.

She thought fast and took a step and jumped. The look on Warren and Jonathan’s faces were priceless. “Is she?” Jonathan asked a heartbeat before the brunette slayer dove in through the passenger side windshield. The glass shattered inward. Warren released the wheel and covered his head to keep from getting slashed the ribbons. The van lost control and veered into a parked car.

Jonathan and the seat itself caught the full brunt of the leaping slayer. Faith hit hard and rolled into the back of the van. The smaller boy cried out.

Buffybot screeched to a stop and climbed out of the car, running to Faith’s aid.

Faith groaned as she tried to get up. Warren quickly grabbed a baseball bat and delivered a hard shot to the slayer’s back. “Ow!” She said, turning to look at him. “That fuckin’ hurt!” She jumped up and grabbed the bat from him. “Dick.” She pushed him back against the seat.

The side door of the van suddenly flew open to reveal nothing. “Hey, double B.” Faith said, smiling.

Jonathan quickly brought his hand up. “Incind…” Faith quickly smacked him in the mouth with the butt of the baseball bat. “Ow.” He said, holding his mouth. “That hurt.”

“Does, doesn’t it? You’re not my first magic user, pint-size.” Faith said. She spun the bat in her hand as she stared at the pair of them. She looked around the inside of the van and nodded her approval. “Nice. All Sneakers and shit in here.” She looked at Warren. “Your work?”

Warren nodded. “Yeah.” He said, smiling. “We got nine high-resolution surveillance cameras hooked in.” He pointed to the wall. “Super-wide angle, infrared, auto-iris, plus six types of audio matrix monitoring…that’s filtered through a dual quad DVS system, and a…”

Faith waved her hand. “Fine. You’re a tech nerd. Got it.” She saw the silver gun. “Oh, cool.” She picked it up. “This must be the invisibility ray.”

“Hey. Put that down.” Warren said taking a step toward her.

Faith stuck the end of the bat against his chest and pushed him back. “Don’t press your luck, geek-zilla. B. Grab those plans on the table there.”

“Okay.” The bot said, gathering the blueprints. The papers lifted off the table and appeared to be floating in mid-air. “Thank you.” She said, before exiting the rig.

“Now…” Faith said, lifting the bat and taking a step back toward their equipment. “What am I going to do with you two?” She cocked her head. “I could beat you into a bloody pulp. That’s always therapeutic. I could just take this bat and smash the shit out of everything in here…”

“Dissolvo!” Jonathan shouted, throwing his hand toward her.

Faith was immediately thrown backward into the rear doors of the van. She slammed through them and out onto the sidewalk.

Warren jumped behind the wheel and fired the van up, racing away as fast as he could. “You may have beaten us this time, Slayer, but next time…um…uh, next time…” His voice stammered over the PA system of the truck.

“Maybe not!” Jonathan piped in. The rig raced around a corner.

Faith got up and dusted herself off. “Christ. These guys are really getting on my nerves.”

Thanks to Willow’s technical expertise, they were able to get Buffybot turned visible again. The group then went about shipping the Diamond back to the museum and dismantling the invisibility ray.

Faith sat out on the roof of the Summers house watching the moon laze across the sky. So intent on her thoughts was she that she started physically when she heard someone crawl out beside her. She turned to see Buffybot sit down. “Hey.” The bubbly blonde said to her.

“Hey.” Faith said, turning back to the night sky. “Hell of a day, huh?”

Buffybot nodded. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.” Faith answered, looking at her.

“When…when you look at me. Do you see me, or do you see who I was made to look like?” Buffybot said.

“You really wanna know?” Faith asked. At the girl’s nod, she sighed. “I see both. You’re not Buffy. I know that. But yeah, I do see a lot of her in you. I also know that you’re your own person. You’ve grown way beyond what you should be.”

The bot sighed and rested her chin on her knees. “I just…I can’t help but think that I’m a living lie. I’ve got these…feelings. Emotions. But do I truly understand them or is it just a bunch of numbers in my head telling me that I do?”

Faith chuckled. “I can’t answer that. But I can tell you this. What you’re doing right now? This confusion?” She stared into the blonde’s eyes. “Is quite possibly one of the most  _human_  things you can do.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yeah. Pondering your existence? The whole meaning of life shit? That’s so human it isn’t even funny. Do you see Red’s laptop contemplating its existence?” Faith shook her head. “You’re more than just a machine, B. You’re you. Be it muscle, bone and nerves or hydraulics, steel and wires. You’re just as much a living, breathing person…stop looking at me like that. You know what I mean.” Faith said. “You’re a unique individual. But more than that…” Faith drew her in and hugged her. “You’re family. Robot or not.”

“But there’s one thing that I want to do, but I don’t think I can,” Buffybot said, sadly.

“What’s that?”

She looked at Faith. “I want to get a place with Daniel.”

Faith stared at her a moment. “Really?”

“I don’t think Willow will let me.” The blonde robot said, her voice carrying genuine sorrow. “Because I’m a robot.”

Faith had to admit, the girl raised a legitimate point. Despite her assurance that Buffybot wasn’t just a robot…the girl was a robot. She  _wasn’t_  a human being. She didn’t have human problems, true. But that wasn’t to say that she didn’t have problems. But as she thought, a different concern popped up. “It isn’t really Red you gotta worry about, B. It’s Dawn.”

Buffybot furrowed her brow, not understanding.

“You’re little D’s legal guardian. You gotta stay here until she’s old enough to live on her own.”

The blonde nodded, getting it. “I forgot about that.”

“Tell you what?” Faith said. “Why don’t you invite Daniel to live here with you? The boys put in a full on apartment in the basement. It’s even got its own kitchen and bathroom. You even got an entrance to the backyard so you don’t have to be quiet about when you come in. I know it isn’t ideal, but at least it’ll give you two some privacy and be a step in the right direction.”

Buffybot smiled brightly at the brunette slayer. “I like that.” She pulled Faith in for a hug. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, B.” Faith said, chuckling at the girl’s happiness. She watched as the blonde climbed in the window and sighed, turning back to the night sky. Sometimes helping people had nothing to do with being the slayer. Sometimes it was just about being a friend. A cool breeze, from out of nowhere, caressed her cheek. It smelled faintly of lavender. She sniffed the air and sighed. Lavender was one of Buffy’s favorite scents.

 


	46. Chapter 46

 

Buffybot whistled happily as she manned the grill. She loved her job. She even liked the employees that she had working under her. She turned and saw Manny move out into the kitchen. “Buffy.” He said, looking somewhat despondent. “Can I have a word with you?”

She nodded and turned to Timothy. “Can you take over for me, please?” She asked him.

He smiled and nodded. “Sure.” He stepped over and took the spatula from her.

She followed Manny into the office. “Is there a problem, Manny?”

“Gary’s gone. He didn’t show up for his shift.” He dropped heavily into his chair.

“Oh.” Buffy pouted. “I liked Gary. He was nice. Good worker.” She thought a moment. “That’s four employees in just as many weeks.”

Manny nodded. “We’re incredibly short staffed.” He looked at her. “I need you to work a double tonight. I know you opened but I really need-,”

“No problem,” Buffybot said, smiling at him. “I don’t mind working. Daniel comes in at five.” She was really looking forward to seeing him again. She decided that today was the day she would ask if he wanted to move in with her. She was hoping he would say yes. She had to grant him that she and the life she led, were anything but normal. But nevertheless, she was praying that he would be able to see past all of that and move in with her.

“That’s another thing I’ve taken notice of. And I have to say I’m impressed. You two don’t let your personal feelings for each other get in the way of the job.” He nodded. “I’ve had to deal with that before. It’s not an easy thing. You two do a really good job of it. Most people can’t seem to keep it separated.”

“We are here to work, not to fraternize,” Buffybot said. “We are still glad to see each other and I think maybe our personal relationship allows us to work better as a team. And Daniel doesn’t mind me telling him what to do.”

“Wish the same could be said for all of the folks that work here. We’re currently trying to hire some new people, but…” He shook his head. “It’s hard getting good people in here.”

Buffybot thought a moment. “You know…” She said, smiling. “My sister Dawn just turned sixteen. She could use a part time job. It would teach her responsibility and earn her a little extra money.”

Manny leaned back and thought about it. “Well, we are desperate for warm bodies. Why don’t you have her fill out an application? I know she won’t have any employment history…”

“She’s volunteered on Holidays at the Magic Box downtown. She’s worked with customers and done some minor cash handling.”

He shrugged. “Like I said, have her fill out an application and bring it in. I’ll give it a look and see if we can find a place for her.”

Buffybot smiled. “Thank you.” She said happily. “I should get back to the grill. Let me know if you need anything else.” She left his office and stepped up taking the station back from Timothy.

“Hey, Buffy,” Phillip said, turning toward her from the counter. “Your friends are here to see you.” His voice, as always, was nigh emotionless.

Manny referred to him as a ‘solid’ worker and Buffybot had to agree. He was good at what he did. Buffybot was always able to count on him. And because of that, she liked him. “Thank you, Phillip.” She said, again handing off the grill to Timothy. She stepped up to the counter to see Faith, Xander, Anya, Willow and Tara smiling happily at her.

“We’re here to support your subsistence-level employment. Bravo.” Anya said with a smile.

Faith was about to say something to Anya when Buffybot interrupted her. “Thank you, Anya,” Buffybot said. “What would you guys like? I do have to apologize, as Dawn is my only immediate family, she gets part of my fifty percent employee discount. The rest of you have to pay full price.”

Faith snickered. “That’s okay, double B. We’re not here to mooch…” She saw Xander’s somewhat crestfallen face and sighed. “Well, most of us aren’t.”

“W-we just wanted you to know how p-proud of you we were.” Tara offered. Willow gave a joyful nod.

“T-bear and Red will have club salads with water. Gimme two of the Doublemeat medley meals, large. Xander here will one of those large and Anya…” She looked at the woman. “What do you want? My treat.”

“Oh,” Anya said, looking at the menu. “I’ll have the crispy chicken sandwich with bacon and extra pickles. Make that a meal with a large drink.”

Buffy typed the order in without looking at the register. “Two club salads with water. Three Doublemeat medley meals large. Crispy chicken meal, extra bacon, extra pickles, large drink.”

The group nodded while Buffy rang it up. “Your total is forty-four sixty-three.”

Faith pulled her debit card and slid it through the machine. “You talk to Daniel yet?” Faith asked.

“I am going to talk to him today,” Buffybot said, handing them their cups and offering Willow and Tara their bottles of water. “I hope he’ll say yes.”

“The guy should. He’s got a wonderful gal.” Xander said, smiling.

Buffybot smiled brightly back at him. “Thank you, Xander. That means a lot. Oh, I should tell you. I have to work a double shift tonight. Gary, one of our better employees didn’t come in today.”

Xander nodded. “It’s fast food. I have swum these murky waters, my friend. There’s the assorted creepiness, there’s staring, there’s the enthusiastic not showing up at all. I wouldn’t be too worried about it.”

Buffybot furrowed her brow. “There’s no creepiness…well, not much.” She looked up at the screen, grabbed a tray and turned, placing the group’s orders on it. She turned back around and smiled. “There you are. Enjoy.”

“Thank you, Buffy,” Willow said as Faith took the tray to a larger table. “She seems to genuinely enjoy the job.”

Faith nodded as she sat down. “Yeah, she does. I’m proud as hell of her.” She opened up her burger and smiled. “Nice.” She watched as Xander took a huge bite of his sandwich. She took a small bite of hers and grinned. “Not as much cat this time around.”

Xander stopped chewing and stared at her. “Cat?” He said with his mouth full. The rest of the group snickered.

“Just kidding.” Faith said. As Xander sniggered, she shrugged. “Probably.”

“That’s not funny, Faith,” Xander said, after swallowing his bite.

“Sure it was.” She began eating her food in earnest. “Just not to you.”

Buffy continued to watch the clock. She grinned with joy as Daniel came in, carrying his hat and apron. As he moved to clock in, she stepped up behind him. “Hi.” She said, beaming.

He started as she spoke. He turned to look at her. “You scared me half to death.” He quickly clocked in and turned hugging her. “What are you doing here? I thought you were off at four.”

“I’m working a double shift. Gary didn’t show up for his shift.” Buffy said, sadly. “I liked Gary.”

“So did I,” Daniel said. “It’s strange. He’s a friend. I would have thought he’d at least tell someone.”

“I would have thought so, too.” She kissed him quickly. “You get your choice of position if you’d like.” At Daniel’s mischievous grin, she chuckled. “Which station do you wanna work?”

“I’ll take drive through. It’s the busiest and makes the night go by faster.”

“Fair enough. After shift, I have a question to ask you.” Buffy said.

“You got it.” Daniel slid his hat on. “I’m on my way.” He stepped up to the window, put his headset on and went to work.

Buffy went about, making sure everyone was ready for the dinner rush. She ended up taking the counter as it was a high-pressure station and few people seemed to like it. Customer after customer came in. Buffy greeted everyone with a smile and warm “Welcome to the Doublemeat Palace, how can I assist you today.”

Ever since Janine and Gloria were terminated, and a hefty round of write ups were issued, the crew ran much more smoothly. Buffy, as assistant manager, ran a tight ship, but she also understood that not everyone was a machine like she was. Thus, she often gave up her breaks and lunch periods to make sure that all of her staff was well rested and had proper support on their stations.

She grinned widely as a sweet old woman with a seafoam green knee length sweater and a flannel house dress with roses on it stepped up to the counter. She opened her mouth to order, but Buffybot cut her off. “Hi, Miss Rolsten. A small coffee and a cherry pie?” She asked.

The woman nodded. “Thank you, sweetie.” She began pulling her money out.

“Dollar ninety-two,” Buffybot said, smiling. “How has your night been going?”

“Very well, thank you.” Miss Rolsten said. She handed the bot the dollar and change. “Her you go, dear.” As Buffybot took it, the woman continued to smile happily. “You’re doing a great job here, young lady. I can see you here a long time.”

Buffybot gave her the tray with the steaming pie and the hot cup of coffee. “Thank you, Miss Rolsten. Be careful, it’s hot.”

She turned to see Spike step in, blinking his eyes. “Hey, Spike. Welcome to the Doublemeat Palace. How can I assist you?”

“Just got done sweepin’ the suburbs up north. No sign of the Geek-twins.”

Buffy sighed. “I wish we knew where they were. That would make things so much easier.”

“After the sound trashing you all have given them, I’m not necessarily surprised they aren’t putting in an appearance,” Spike said, shrugging. “What’s in the DoubleMeat nuggets?”

“Ground chicken and beef product,” Buffybot said. “They’re actually quite tasty. One moment.” She went in the back and came up with a napkin and a freshly cooked nugget. “Here. Try one.”

Spike took it and popped it in his mouth. He crunched on it and smiled. “That’s not bad, actually.”

“Would you like some? On me.” Buffybot asked.

“I wouldn’t be adverse to it.” He chuckled as he watched her move about. He looked over and saw the young man in the drive through staring at her between orders. He frowned. Granted the bot was no longer his personal property. She had her own personality and life now. But that still didn’t mean he wasn’t jealous of what he’d given up. The little blonde robot might not have been the real Buffy Summers…but she was still his. At least until Buffy, the _real_  Buffy, caught wind of her. He’d nearly been beaten to death by Glory…for the sake of the girl he loved more than anyone else. Buffy said it plainly. Buffybot wasn’t real. What he did for Dawn and her,  _that_  was real. And she was right. He just didn’t  _love_  the robot. But that didn’t mean he didn’t care for her. He did, does and always would. He was glad that she was happy, but at the same time…

“Here you go, Spike,” Buffybot said, taking his attention away from the boy. “I gave you a double order with extra spicy barbecue sauce on account of I remember you liked spicy food.”

He grinned at her. “Thanks, pet.” He said, taking the tray. He moved over to the window so he could keep an eye on his motorcycle. He dipped his nuggets into the sauce and ate, enjoying himself.

Buffybot gave him another warm smile and went back to work. She loved what she did. As she looked over at Daniel, proving that he was a whiz at the drive-through station, she realized that she loved who she worked with even more.

The night lazed by as the group joked about. Buffybot had noticed that when she first started, the crew seemed almost…morose. She asked why that was. Gary, the employee that hadn’t shown up, told her Manny’s policy on humor in the workplace. “Levity is the time-thief that picks the pocket of the company.”

She actually spoke to Manny on the subject. When he said that employees joking around cuts into the productivity of the store, Buffy showed him a study done by the University of Warwick that showed happy employees were, on average, twelve percent more productive. Google, the internet superpower, showed a marked increase of thirty-seven percent more productivity when extra employee support was implemented.

He remained unconvinced, so Buffybot made him a wager. She bet that if she could institute an incentive program to employees that went above and beyond, that it would improve morale. Improved morale would result in better productivity. Manny agreed and gave her one month to prove her point. Buffy began offering things such as a family and friend night; wherein an employee that reached specific benchmarks would be allowed to have family and friends into the restaurant to share in their employee discount. If the restaurant as a whole made sales quotas, they would be given a closed door barbecue party.

The results were miraculous. The whole tone of the store changed. Now, employees weren’t afraid to be funny. They joked and laughed. The experience was just more pleasant.

At the end of the month, profits were up by eleven percent, accidents were nearly cut in half and showed signs of dropping even further.

Manny was impressed. That was two months ago. He’d decided to keep the incentive program alive and now joined in the fun on occasion. He was happier for it.

As the shift wound down, Buffy began letting some of the employees leave early. She made sure the lobby was closed and locked at eleven, leaving the drive-through open until one o’clock as always. She worked the kitchen as Daniel finished up the orders.

The last two hours of the night were always hit or miss. They were either busy with some sort of late night rush, or they were dead, with nary a car in sight.

Tonight, it decided it wanted to be very, very slow. Daniel went about his cleanup, making sure to check off his list. He kept everything tidy throughout his shift so that the end of the night cleaning was efficient and timely.

Buffybot did likewise with the kitchen. Unlike most of the other employees, who looked for shortcuts – with Manny’s approval, mind you – she liked to fire off orders when she got them. Yes, it took longer, but in the end, the customers seemed far more satisfied with the product. She’d managed to turn a few disgruntled customers into return customers, but only on the nights she worked the grill.

“So…” Daniel began, having finished all he could do before closing. “What did you wanna ask me?”

Buffybot looked at him. “I was going to ask if you’d consider moving in with me.”

He was flabbergasted by the question. He currently lived with both his parents, despite being twenty years old. He paid them a modest amount for rent and to help with the bills. He’d never even thought about moving away. “Don’t you live in a house with like, four other women?”

Buffybot nodded. “When our house got damaged and needed to be repaired, my friend Xander and some of the guys from the construction site got together and built a full apartment in the basement. It has its own plumbing, kitchen, bedroom and even a separate entrance.”

“Why not get our own place?” He asked.

She shook her head. “I can’t. I’m Dawn’s legal guardian. I have to stay with her until she turns eighteen.”

“Why not see about getting her emancipated?” Daniel asked.

“She isn’t ready,” Buffybot said, sternly. “She isn’t mature enough to support herself.”

He nodded. “Fair enough.” He gave her a smile. “I’d love to move in with you.” He pulled her in and kissed her. “Welcome to the Doublemeat Palace. Order whenever you’re ready.” He reluctantly let go of her and moved to take the order.

Fifteen minutes after one saw the pair closing the service door and locking it. “I’m so glad this night is over.” He said, sighing. He pulled his hat off and ran his hand through his shaggy hair.

Buffybot nodded as she worked the key in the lock. “So am I.” She said. “Maybe we can go to… what are you looking at?”

“I thought I heard something.” Daniel pointed. “Over there, behind that dumpster.”

Buffybot stepped up beside him. “Is there someone there?” She asked, loudly. “You don’t have to be afraid. If you’re a homeless person and are hungry, I can get you something to eat.”

An elderly woman stepped out of the shadows with a smile. “Hello, dearie.”

“Oh, hello Miss Rolsten,” Daniel said, smiling. “What are you doing back here?”

“Well…” The woman’s gray hair, a wig, fell to the ground. “I was just hoping for a little late night snack.” A long sinuous snake-like beast rose from the woman’s bald head. It’s wide tooth-filled mouth shrieked. A fine mist covered Daniel, causing him to stagger and fall to the ground. “It’s paralyzing. Don’t try to move, dear. You really can’t, much.” She then turned to Buffybot. The snake again spat the mist at her. “The paralysis spreads upward, by the way. You may want to flail your arms a bit while you still can.”

Buffybot growled and spun on her heel, driving her boot directly into the woman’s abdomen, sending her and the snake beast on a flight across the alley. “I can do a lot more than flail my arms.”

The demon rose to her feet. “How did you…?”

“I’m a newer model,” Buffybot said as she squared off with the…whatever it was.

“The paralysis should have stopped you cold.” The woman said. The snakehead shot toward her, latching onto the bot’s shoulder. It recoiled immediately. “What are you?” She asked, backing away.

Buffybot gripped the snake’s head, holding it fast. “Twenty-first century, top of the line.” She said, sharply. She dragged the creature over and threw the snakehead into the dumpster, slamming the lid down hard. The metal severed the head from the old woman. She swayed and groaned a little before falling over. The snake thrashed inside the wheelie bin. Buffybot pulled the large knife she carried from her back and opened the top. The snake shot out squealing.

The bot quickly cut it apart, throwing the remains into the trash. “Put that in your grist mill and grind it!” She said, smiling. She then scrunched her nose. “On second thought…” She shook her head and turned to Daniel. He lay on the ground limply. She knelt and helped him up. “You alright?” She asked him, smiling.

“I’ve been better.” He said. “I just…she’s been coming here for years. I had no idea she was…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Buffybot said. “I’ll take you home and we’ll take a nice hot shower.”

He smiled brightly. “I like the way that sounds.”

 


	47. Chapter 47

 

Faith sat at the table in Tony’s office, going over some of the new plans for the construction job. She shifted in the seat. The massive tattoo on her back still itched and was a little painful. But it was totally worth it to her. Ronnie had done a phenomenal job. “Are we really this far ahead?” She asked, looking up at him.

“Thanks to you.” The foreman said, smiling. “Almost a month ahead of schedule. The top brass is really happy about it. We’re also way under budget. We’re all looking for a nice, fat bonus when all is said and done. We’ve um…we’ve got quite a few more projects around town after this is done. I was kinda hopin'…”

“You were hoping I would stay on board and keep working with the company?” Faith asked.

He nodded. “Yeah, kinda.”

“I don’t see why not.” Faith offered. “You pay me pretty good and you let me keep a pretty flexible schedule. I do appreciate that. And you know the deal with what I do with my nights. Not a lot of employers are gonna be as understanding. So yeah, I’ll stay on.”

He grinned widely. “Nice.” He offered his hand. “I really do appreciate it.”

She shook his hand and headed outside to get back to work. She was ecstatic. She loved her job, she liked who she worked with…she loved her life. Everything was going swimmingly for the young slayer. She did, however, temper herself. She understood that when things started going too well, that something was bound and determined to come along and screw it up. So she kept herself relegated to a kind of cautious optimism.

This was, after all, the Hellmouth. And nothing was what it appeared. Since buying Dawn a car for her birthday, she didn’t really see the need to pick the teen up after school. The girl was showing that she was responsible and practical.

Faith grinned widely as she lugged I-beams to and fro. Today was going to be Dawn’s first day of work. The slayer wasn’t exactly worried. Buffybot was also working and was going to be there to make sure that the girl did things right. Dawn was actually happy about getting a job.

Tara, Willow, and Anya all sat down with her and informed her of how to budget. Anya, the driving force of finances in the group, did most of the talking. With her help, Dawn was going to be secreting away ten percent of her paycheck for savings. She was also going to be paying her own car insurance, her own gas, and maintenance on her car. The rest of her check was hers to spend.

After they’d done the math with the girl, Dawn realized that she would be raking in a hair over four hundred bucks a month to spend on what she wanted. She was happy as a clam. Granted, she had next to no free time during the week, but she would have weekends off unless the restaurant was desperate, but Buffybot assured her that she would only be a last resort.

Faith was also kind of shocked at how well Daniel seemed to settle in. He stayed to himself a lot, but he wasn’t a hermit. He would occasionally cook, he cleaned up after himself and Buffybot and didn’t really seem to mind the weirdness that crept into the house. He wasn’t bothered that Faith sometimes left knives and stakes sitting around. He had taken to setting a basket at the foot of the stairs for her to drop such items into if she was in a hurry.

Little things like that made her appreciate him to no end. Dawn really liked him. The pair of them shared a lot of the same tastes. And he didn’t mind trips to the mall with her and Janice to make sure the pair behaved themselves. All in all, he was a great guy. And he seemed to love Buffybot to death.

Faith took in a breath of fresh California air and smiled. Life seemed, at the moment, to be perfect.

And that immediately put her on edge. Life in Sunnydale was never perfect for long. And that fact made her sad.

 

Dawn sighed heavily as she drove along. It was just after eleven in the morning and she was on her way home. She reached up to her split lip and grimaced. It still hurt like hell. She knew that they were all going to be mad at her.

Well, strictly speaking, that wasn’t true. Faith would definitely understand and Buffybot would just be glad she stood up for herself. Daniel would just be worried because that was what Daniel did. He worried. About everything. Tara and Willow, however, would be upset that she got into a fight.

Dawn had long ago determined that she was done with boys. She saw how happy Faith, Tara, and Willow were and decided that she wasn’t interested in the opposite sex. Not that that meant she was going to give up on men completely…she just gave up on high school boys. She wanted someone to care about her for who she was, not what she looked like sans clothes.

So she was understandably upset when she got to school this morning and some jock-ass redneck decided to take a handful of her ass and give it a squeeze. Now, in her defense, she didn’t immediately kick his ass. She wanted to. She had the ability and the anger to do so, but she followed the rules. She went to the main office, spoke to the principal and said she wanted to file sexual harassment charges. The boy was a senior and she was a sophomore.

The principal did his level best to dissuade her from going that far. In fact, he outright forbade her from taking it to a criminal level. Dawn was furious. Like most authority figures in school, nothing was going to be done about it.

So when lunch time came, in the middle of the cafeteria, Dawn beat the shit out of the boy. And she was none too subtle about it. He had to be carried out on a stretcher. Dawn was immediately suspended for the remainder of the week.

She was pissed as could be. Now, she drove home preparing herself for the inevitable chew-out that she was going to receive. She pulled up to the house to see the driveway empty. She climbed out of the car and went inside.

Daniel was in the living room folding towels on the sofa. He looked up at her in surprise. “Dawn. What are you doing home?” He asked her. He saw the cut on her lip. “Did you get into a fight?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Some a-hole grabbed my butt and I gave him a knuckle massage.” The teen said, dropping her backpack by the stairs.

He immediately got up and made his way into the downstairs bathroom. He came out carrying a first aid kit. “Sit down. Let me take a look.”

“It’s not that bad, Daniel,” Dawn said.

“No, but if I let you walk around the house looking like that, your sister is going to kill me.” He said, motioning to the chair. “Now sit.” She sighed and dropped into the easy chair. Daniel pulled a seat from the dining room and sat beside the girl. “Did you tell anyone what he did  _before_  you decided to educate him on his folly?” He pulled out hydrogen peroxide and began dabbing at the cut.

“Yeah. Wanted to go all the way with it, too. Sexual harassment.” Dawn shook her head. “But the principal wouldn’t let me. He said it wasn’t that serious a thing.”

“Do you feel it was?” He asked her. “Did you understand the consequences he would have faced if it would have gone all the way?”

“Jail time,” Dawn said. “But it would have been a lesson worth learning.”

“Fair enough,” Daniel said, nodding. “Why didn’t you circumvent him?”

“The principal?” Dawn clarified.

“It’s not like he has the legal authority to stop you. If you wanted to file a police report, there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Provided you were honest.”

“I don’t know. I guess I just expected him to care. To do something about it. But like every other grownup at school, they don’t care. It’s always ‘boys will be boys’ or some similar bullshit. Nothing ever comes of telling someone. I swear to god, I’m seriously thinking of homeschooling or going to an online high school.” She waited for him to finish. “Isn’t high school supposed to prepare you for real life?”

“Maybe in the seventies and eighties, but not anymore,” Daniel said, putting everything away. “I never went to high school.”

“What do you mean? Everyone has to go to high school.” Dawn said.

“I didn’t. I got out of middle school when I was thirteen. Worked in my dad’s body shop until I was sixteen then got my GED. After that, I enrolled in UC Sunnydale to start my college courses.”

“How old are you?” She asked him.

“Nineteen. I’m finishing up my last year to get my Bachelors degree.”

“How come I never see you doing homework or going to school?”

“I only take a couple classes a week. I crammed like hell my first two years. Now, it’s pretty leisurely. I’m not in any real hurry, now.”

“What’s your major?”

“Business. I wanna own my own nightclub someday.” He grinned at her. “Hopefully in like, Los Angeles or San Francisco.”

“That would be kinda cool,” Dawn said. “I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Shoot.” He said, going back to the towels.

“Does it really not bother you that Buffy’s a robot?”

He stared at her with a look of surprise. “She’s a robot?” He asked. “Are you serious?”

Dawn’s eyes widened. “I…I thought you knew.”

“How would I know?” He asked. “She looks so…” He burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t keep a straight face.”

“Ass,” Dawn said to him. “I believed you, too.”

“Sorry. To answer your question, no. I really don’t mind. Most of the time, I don’t even think about it. She doesn’t act like a robot. She’s a tad bizarre, but then who isn’t?” He chuckled as he continued folding. “She says some really funny things. She uses terms like ‘bee’s knees’ and ‘neato’. But I find I kind of like that. Every day that passes, I find more and more reasons to love her.”

“When you’re at work and she’s at home…” Dawn was interrupted as Faith came in the house, worry etched on her face. “Hey, Faith.”

“Your principal called me at work. He couldn’t get a hold of Buffybot and I’m the next on the contact list. He said you were in a fight.” She knelt down to take a look at the girl’s lip.

“I’m fine. Daniel already cleaned me up.” Dawn said, pushing Faith’s hands away. “Son of a bitch got in a lucky shot.”

Faith turned to the boy. “Thanks, D.” He gave her a warm smile. “He said you were out until next Monday.”

“Yeah. But the bastard that I dropped is gonna be in the hospital longer than that.” Dawn got up and motioned Faith to follow. As they entered the upstairs bathroom, Dawn pulled her pants and underwear down. “Do I have bruises on my ass?”

Faith knelt to take a look. Sure enough, there was a slightly purplish hand print where someone took a good handful. “Yeah, squirt. Someone got a grip on that ass.”

“Now you know why I busted his ass up,” Dawn said.

“Dawn!” The pair heard Buffy shout from downstairs. The bot thundered up the steps and threw the bathroom down open. “I was shopping with Tara when I got the message on my phone. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I was just…”

“Look at this, B.” Faith said, pointing to Dawn’s behind. “She’s got bruises, man.”

Buffybot looked. “Did you tell the principal?”

Dawn nodded. “He didn’t do anything.”

“I’m going to go talk to him,” Buffybot said. “This is bad.” She turned and walked out the door.

Dawn looked at Faith with a pleading look. “I’ll go with her.” Faith said, rising to her feet. She patted the girl’s shoulder. “You did good.” That earned her a beautiful Summers smile.

Faith slid behind the wheel of her Roadrunner while Buffybot took shotgun. The pair arrived at the school a few minutes later.

The brunette slayer followed the blonde robot as she made her way through the school and into the principal’s office, not stopping to speak with the receptionist.

“Why did you do nothing about the assault on Dawn?” Buffybot asked the man sharply.

“Miss Summers. Miss Lehane. Do come in.” He said, sarcastically.

Faith gently shut the door. She moved up beside her friend. “Pardon Buffy for her candor, Mr. Russell. She’s very protective of her sister.”

“I can see that.” He said, motioning to the chairs. “Please, have a seat.” The pair did so. “So what exactly did Dawn tell you?”

“She informed us that she came to you this morning about a boy assaulting her and you did nothing about it,” Buffybot said. “I want to know why.”

“I didn’t do nothing, Miss Summers. Dawn informed me that a boy grabbed her bottom. School policy is to issue detention and a written reprimand for the student in question. But Dawn wasn’t satisfied with that. She wanted to pursue criminal charges against the boy. I didn’t see the need to ruin a student’s life over something so petty.”

“So you used your position of authority to attempt to violate Dawn’s basic rights?” Buffy said.

“I did nothing of the kind, Miss Summers. I tried to dissuade your sister from taking such an action because it is a very serious charge. If he were to get convicted, he could very well end up on the sex offender registry.” Principal Russell shook his head. “His life would be over and he’s barely eighteen.”

Buffybot shook her head. “That is his problem.” She was angered at his dismissal.

“He’s a teenage boy, Miss Summers. He was doing as teenage boys do.”

“Dawn has contusions on her bottom where the boy grabbed her. He is a dangerous offender, Mr. Russell and she be punished accordingly.”

“She broke his nose, dislocated his right shoulder and elbow, broke three ribs and ruptured his lung. How much more punishment should he have faced, Miss Summers?”

“He should be in jail. He is a violent offender.” She repeated.

“Bottom line is if the kid doesn’t learn his lesson now, he’s never going to.” Faith offered. “He walks through the halls like his shit don’t stink. If he’s taking a palm full of booty on someone like Dawn, then chances are good he’s done it before.” Faith caught the glimmer in the man’s eyes. “He  _has_  done this before, hasn’t he?”

“That’s beside the point, Miss Lehane.”

“Bullshit. That’s  _exactly_  the point. If this kid is walking around sexually harassing girls, then you need to put a stop to it or someone else will.” A quick flash of fear raced across his face, there and gone. “Why are you protecting him? What makes him so important?”

He sighed and shook his head. “It’s none of your concern, Miss Lehane.”

“Okay, let me put it to you another way.” Faith rose to her feet and leaned over the desk. “Come Monday, when Dawn comes back to school if he so much as looks at her cross-eyed, we’re coming to see  _you_.” Faith lifted the small stone globe that acted as a paperweight on his desk. She held it up in front of his face. “And trust me, Hoss…” She crushed it to powder and blew it into his face, causing him to cough and hack. “We come back to this office and you’re gonna have the worst day of your life.”

Buffybot nodded. “My sister is a living, breathing person. She’s also a sixteen-year-old girl. She should be protected. She shouldn’t have to be afraid of being sexually assaulted in the halls, Mr. Russell. It happens again I’m contacting a lawyer and I’m going to sue your pants off.”

With that, the pair left the room, heading for home. By the time they got back, Willow and Tara were both there. Willow was lecturing Dawn on using violence to solve her problems. “Back off her, Red.” Faith said, putting a hand on the elder girl’s shoulder. “She’s in the right on this one.”

“She is?” Willow asked, astonished. She turned back to Dawn. The teen smiled smugly and crossed her arms. “But…she put a boy in the hospital.”

“Yeah, for bruising her ass with his fingers because he grabbed her so hard.” Faith said. “Principal Russell didn’t do shit about it.”

Tara leaned forward and took Dawn’s hands. “Do you want to go to the police station and file a report, sweetie?”

Dawn looked around the room. “Do you guys think I should?”

Faith shook her head. “Not now. See, if you do that now, then the kid can counter sue because you whooped his ass. If you’d left him alone and done it, it might have worked, but now you don’t have a leg to stand on.”

Buffybot nodded. “But I think you taught him a very valuable lesson.” She sat beside her boyfriend. “You acted appropriately.”

Dawn smiled. “Thanks.” She hugged the girl. “You guys aren’t gonna make me, like, do extra chores and stuff around the house are you?”

Faith shook her head and looked to her girlfriends. “I don’t see why we should.”

Willow and Tara nodded their agreement. “It wouldn’t be fair,” Tara said to her.

Dawn giggled happily and hugged the pair of them. “Thanks for being so understanding.”

 

Faith strolled along with Spike beside her. This was the third graveyard they’d patrolled tonight. “Dawn got into a fight in school today.”

Spike took a drag off his cigarette. “How’d she do?”

“She whooped some handsy jock’s ass.” Faith offered. “She put him in the hospital. He was pretty fucked up when all was said and done.”

“Bet that makes you proud.” He said, smiling. “You’re the one that’s been trainin’ her up. Gotta make you feel good that she can put it to use.”

“I don’t know.” Faith said. “I mean, I can’t fault her for using what I taught her, but at the same time…” She sighed. “I didn’t teach her to fight so she could kick the snot out of regular people, you know?”

“Love, I’ve been in this world for over a hundred and twenty years. I can tell you with all certainty that humans can be every bit as bad, if not worse than any vampire or demon.” He looked at her. “You know that better than almost anyone.”

Faith nodded. “Yeah, I do. But I just don’t want her falling into the same habits I did. I want her to grow up better than me.”

“She already is, slayer,” Spike said, dropping his fag end and grinding it beneath his boot heel. “She’s a smart kid. She’s got years of experience watching…” He swallowed. “Watching Buffy make mistakes and learning from them. And Mrs. Summers was a wonderful mum. She put up with a lot from those girls. She made her fair share of mistakes, true, but she was always willing to forgive and help.”

“I remember. When I first came to Sunnydale she was all extra nice to me.” Faith looked at him. “Turned out she wanted me to take over slaying for B. But B wasn’t having any of that shit. She thought I was trying to steal her life.”

“Buffy’s always been the jealous type. Chances are she saw how you lived, how you went about slaying and was envious.”

Faith stopped and stared at him. “Envious. Of what? She had a nice house, a cool mom, she didn’t have to worry about being homeless…”

“She had responsibility, people she had to look out for, she had to fight everyday to keep people separate from this life. You’re getting a taste of that now, slayer. But back there and back then, you didn’t have to worry for none of that. You could do what you want, slay how you want, party how you wanted. No one to tell you what to do. You had all the benefits of being a slayer but none of the drawbacks. At least that’s how she saw it. That’s why you two banged heads so many times is my guess. You were everything she wished she could be, just as she had everything you wished you had.”

Faith looked him in the eyes. “That’s pretty profound for you.”

“Yeah, I’m a wise arse,” Spike said, smiling.

“But still an ass?” Faith said, continuing her patrol. “You feel something?”

“Sure do. Was wonderin’ where they were holed up.” Spike said, moving toward a large crypt. “Took a look at this place when I was searching for a crypt to call my own.” He looked at Faith. “No sewer access.”

“Thank god.” She said. “I’d prefer a straight up fight and not a bug hunt.”

Spike looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Bug hunt?”

“Aliens reference.” Faith said. “Have you seen it?” She asked as she looked around the crypt.

“Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn?” Spike asked her. “I’ve seen it. Saw it when it came out, love. Better than the first one.”

“They were both good flicks. They pretty much went downhill after that.” Faith said. “I’m not seeing any way in other than the front. And from the look of it, there’s eight of them.” She looked at him. “Feel like getting back to basics?”

Spike grinned at her. “I got back to basics, slayer, I’d be eatin’ you.”

Faith sighed. “See? And you gotta go sayin’ shit like that.”

“Sorry. Couldn’t help it.” Spike said. “I’m ready for a good bout. Been a while, it has to be said. Town’s been too quiet.”

“I hear that.” Faith said, moving the front door. She took a step, turned and planted her boot into the middle of the iron and wood door. The impact sent shrapnel away in a cloud. The vampires in the room scattered. “Howdy gentlemen. Your great American nightmare has arrived.”

“Slayer!” One of the vampires snapped. He was a tall lanky figure with deep set eyes. “We were hoping to find you.” He turned to Spike. “And the traitor.”

“That’s me,” Spike said, pulling a stake from his coat. “Time to tango, mate.”

Faith giggled as she and her vampire companion leapt into the fray. She jumped onto the stone coffin in the middle of the room and flipped over the group that tried to get to her. As she landed, she dropped to her knees. The vampires all turned, trying to attack her. She spun, sweeping their legs from beneath them, knocking them all to the ground. As they came down in a tumble, she rolled forward, rising back to her feet.

One of them, thinking himself a fighter, kicked himself to his feet. Her stake was there to meet him, sending him away in a hail of dust. As another tried to rise, she planted a hard boot to his face. His head was driven back to the stone, dazing him. The other two did manage to get up …for all of the good it did them.

They both moved in, fists and feet flying. Faith quickly gave ground, not letting either of them flank her. She backed against the sarcophagus and rolled backward on top of it. The vamps tried sweeping her legs from beneath her. She executed a front flip over them, twisting in the air as she did so. As she was airborne, she pulled another stake from her belt. Her feet touched the stone as she attacked. Both stakes entered the vampire’s hearts, taking them from the fight.

That left the one demon that she’d booted in the dome. “It’s not a good night to be a bad guy.” She said, kneeling beside him. She drove the wood home, dusting him. She rose to her feet and sighed. “Typical. Never last long enough.”

Spike was enjoying himself. The first vamp that came at him was gripped by the lapels and hurled into the wall. The stone cracked under the impact. The second received a hard left cross that spun him to the floor. The third and fourth took a foot to the face as Spike leapt into a split front kick.

As the vamps all lay there dazed, he pulled a cigarette out and lit it. He took a drag and blew out the smoke. “You lot should be ashamed of yourselves. This is a right pathetic spectacle.” He put the stogie in his mouth and took stakes in each hand. “Time was when we could go more than one round with a bloke.” He rammed the stakes into two vamps at once. “Time was when bein’ a vampire meant something.” He took out one more, leaving the leader. “Time was, that every undead wasn’t like you.” He took the vamp’s throat and lifted him from the floor. He blew his smoke into the vampire’s face. “Time was when we were scary.” He drew the man in. “Now? You lot aren’t vampires.” He went game face. “You’re a punchline.” He stabbed him in the chest, dusting him.

He turned to see Faith finishing up with hers. “You have fun there, hoss?”

Spike nodded. “It was a lark, admittedly.”

“Come on.” She said, heading for the door. “Let’s go to the Bronze. I’ll buy you a plate of wings and have a dance with ya.”

He tossed his smoke to the side and smiled. “Likin’ the sound of that.”

 


	48. Chapter 48

 

Warren sat the workstation in the van, working intently on a small glistening orb. Jonathan sat on the bean bag chair playing with the magical bone. “I wish Andrew were here. At least he and I could talk to each other.”

“Yeah, well he’s not.” Warren snapped. “He’s lucky he’s not. Freakin’ traitor. He’ll get his.”

“What are you gonna do?” Jonathan asked.

“I don’t know. Something nasty though, I can guarantee you that.” He nodded and smiled. “When you’re done touching your bone, the cerebral dampener’s ready to be charged.”

The smaller boy smiled and jumped up. “Cool.” He tossed the bone down and stepped up to the workstation.

“Got the thing?” Warren asked, putting on a pair of red-tinted glasses.

Jonathan put his on and pulled a plastic zip-lock bag out of his pocket. “Musk gland of a Homja-Maleev demon.” He opened the bag and nearly gagged. “Fresh.” He said, straining past the smell. “All right. Stand back.”

Warren rose to his feet and moved back a bit.

Jonathan held the musk gland in one hand and a vial in the other. He tore the cap off the vial with his teeth. He sprinkled the yellow powder from the small glass tube over the musk gland. “ _Doma voluntatem, libera cupidinem, erumpe, ignem, excita._ ”

Light suffused the musk gland. It then transformed into a glittering stream of light and mist that rolled from his hand and enveloped the silver sphere making it glow briefly.

Jonathan smiled then looked at his smoking hand. “Okay…ow!”

Warren reached over and grabbed the silver ball. “Check it out, Frodo. The cerebral dampener…is online.” He pulled his glasses from his face and tossed them on the desk. “And with this baby, we can make any woman we desire our willing sex slave.”

Jonathan grinned tentatively.

Warren joined his smile with his own. “And I know just where to start.”

 

Faith stood in the kitchen beside Tara grilling off the meat for the fajitas. “I think she would appreciate it.” The slayer said.

Tara turned to regard her. “I th-think she would too, but…”

“But what?” Faith asked.

“Well,…it’s just that, that as much as we want to treat her like she’s, well…”

“You think it would be weird choosing B’s birthday to have a party for Buffybot?” Faith asked. At Tara’s nod, Faith sighed. “I suppose you’re right. I think the proper person to ask would be little D. See if she has a problem with it.”

Tara again nodded. “I think that sounds like a great idea. I mean, Buffybot is a part of this family, so she should be given a birthday just like the rest of us.”

Dawn chose that moment to bob into the kitchen. “It smells good in here.” She said, getting into the fridge for a soda. “Whatcha makin’?”

“Fajitas,” Tara said with a smile. “And yes, I made guacamole.”

“Yes!” Dawn said happily. She popped the top on her soda and took a sip. And then she did the guacamole dance.

“Got somethin’ to run by you, D.” Faith said, giggling at the teen’s antics.

“Go ahead.” Dawn offered, sitting on one of the stools at the island.

“T-bear and I were just discussing something.” She sighed, not sure how to even begin asking the question. “B’s birthday is coming up.” She looked at Dawn and saw the girl tense up. “I was thinking we could kinda do a couple of things. Do a bit of a remembrance thing by letting Buffybot have it.”

The teen furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Buffybot doesn’t really have a birthday to speak of,” Tara said. “So we were thinking of celebrating your sister’s birthday by letting it be Buffybot’s birthday as well.” She thought a moment. “Here’s what we’ll do. It might be kind of sad at first, but hear me out, both of you.” As the pair listened she explained. “We go and visit Buffy’s grave. But instead of the tears and emotion, we could all maybe share a story. Something private that made us feel good for knowing her, you know? Then we come back here and we have a party, celebrating how much a part of the family Buffybot is. Like Faith said earlier, I think it would mean a lot to her. And think, with Buffy still kind of watching over us all, she wouldn’t want us to be sad. She’d want us to be happy and to celebrate the good things we have, and not cry over what we’ve lost.”

Dawn stared at Tara for a long time. Yes, she missed her sister terribly. And, if she were, to be honest with herself, part of her was angry that Buffy chose to sacrifice herself and leave Dawn all alone. True, everyone had rallied around her to offer support and to try and help her cope, and without them, she didn’t know where she’d be. But as much help as they were, as much as they loved her…they weren’t  _family_. They were not her sister, and they were not her mother. And sometimes, alone in the dark when the house was quiet…Dawn would weep. She wept for the sister she’d never again get to talk to, laugh with or be angry at. Losing Joyce was hard enough, but Buffy was supposed to protect her,  _save_  her from the monsters in the dark. Even if they were just emotional ones.

She’d gotten better about it. She didn’t cry as much, but she still missed her sister. She went to her grave a couple of times a week just to sit and talk to the headstone. She would tell Buffy about the day she had, the trouble she got into and the life she was living. She knew the girl could hear her.

Every day there were subtle signs. A breeze when the day was calm, a song playing on the radio, the television flicking over to a channel with a specific message. She knew her sister was still here with her, but not in the way that she’d like.

But Tara’s idea had merit. It would be a good day for remembrance as well as celebrating a friend getting a new lease on life. Finally, she nodded. “I think that sounds wonderful,” Dawn said. “I mean, I still miss her…all of us do. Even Faith, but I think it would help with the healing.”

“Nice.” Faith said. “Meat’s done.” She said, turning the burner off and adding the strips of thinly sliced beef to the rest she’d been cooking. “Let’s get this to the table and eat up.” She led the way to the dining room. She then poked her head into the living room. “Dinner’s done.”

Willow sat on the sofa with her laptop out typing away. The USB cable was connected to Buffybot as the blonde sat on the coffee table. Daniel leaned forward in the easy chair holding Buffybot’s hand as though she were in a doctor’s office getting a checkup. It was absolutely adorable. They all looked up in unison. “Okay,” Buffybot said, chipper.

“Anything wrong, Red?” Faith asked.

“Nope. Just doing some housecleaning. Backing up all the new subroutines. I’m also defragging her system and purging the last of her leftover programming from her pre-Daniel days.” Willow then looked at the boy. “Don’t worry, I’m letting her keep the good stuff.”

The boy blushed, but Buffybot spoke up. “Good. I still want to be good at sex. That way Daniel is happy.” She lifted his hand and kissed it.

Faith watched the boy turn an even darker shade of red. She laughed and went back into the dining room. “Poor boy’s gonna have a heart attack living here.”

Willow finished what she was doing and disconnected the bot. “There we go. You’re good.” She put her laptop away and hurried in to get some food. “Hungry.” She said, softly.

The group made happy small talk as they ate. Faith kept a watch on the time. At six o’clock, she sighed and rose, taking her plate into the kitchen. “I gotta head out for patrol.”

Both Tara and Willow gave her an impassioned embrace. “Be careful,” Tara said, softly.

“Come back to us,” Willow added.

Faith left the house, after making a stop in the kitchen to take the brown paper bag from the refrigerator and climbed into her Roadrunner. She pulled out of the garage and headed for the cemetery to meet up with Spike for their rounds.

Spike had just pulled on his leather trench coat as he heard the knock on the door. “While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” He said, pulling it open.

Faith grinned. “‘Tis some slayer,’ I muttered, ‘tapping at my chamber door – only this, and nothing more’.” She lifted the bag. “And I brought you something. Figured you might be a bit tired of drinking calf’s blood.”

He pulled the gallon jug out of the bag and looked at her raising an eyebrow. “Where’d all this come from?”

“Me, little D, Red, and T-bear.” Faith said. She moved over and hopped up onto the sarcophagus. “We all donated a little to the cause.”

He pulled the cap off and took a swig. Faith swallowed and turned away. As much as she liked Spike and as much as him being a vampire really didn’t bother her, seeing someone –  _anyone_  drink blood just made her stomach turn.

“Big bad slayer gettin’ a little squeamish?” He asked, licking his lips. He turned and put the jug in the fridge. “Thanks.”

She nodded, looking at him. “No problem. Just can’t watch people drink that. Got nothin’ to do with you personally. I wouldn’t be able to watch anyone drink blood. Don’t care who they are.”

“Fair enough.” He said. “Not for everyone.” He pulled a smoke out and flicked open his Zippo. “Ready, slayer?”

 

Jonathan sat at the monitors in the van with the headset on. “Right there! That’s got it.” The boy said, looking at the screen. The bar was in full swing. Couples sat about talking happily. Women of every shape and size walked about in their finest dresses. The music was low and had a romantic quality. “Mad Dog Two to Mad Dog One,” Jonathan said, smiling. “Signal’s coming in strong and clear. Over.”

Warren, dressed in a pale green button-down shirt, a lavender spotted tie, and a black blazer, raised his hand to his earpiece. “Roger that. Beginning preliminary sweep.” He gazed around the room, looking for someone specific. He adjusted his tie, focusing the hidden camera before strolling about. “Keep your potatoes peeled for the slayer. I don’t want any surprises.”

Jonathan was happy as a clam. “We can really have anyone we want.” He said, happily. “It’s like candy.” He chuckled. “Juicy, pulsating candy.” He kept his eyes on the monitor. “Oh! Oh, the one with the neck! Put the whammy on the neck!” He said sharply. “No! The redhead! I want the redhead!”

“The redhead’s too tall,” Warren said, softly.

“So I’ll get a step ladder,” Jonathan said. Warren pulled the earpiece out covertly and flicked it hard. “Ow!” Jonathan said, sharply. “You penis.” He snapped back at Warren as the boy put it back in.

“Target acquired,” Warren said, adjusting his suit.

“What?” Jonathan asked. “The brunette?” As Warren drew closer, he shrugged. “Oh, she’s kinda cute.” He watched a girl with a short leather skirt and a spaghetti strap top walk past. “Oh, no, go for the leather skirt!” He said, happily. “Oh, bazoombas!”

Warren, being a typical male, did check out the display. He gave an appreciative nod but turned back to the brunette girl.

“Go for the one with the bazoombas!” Jonathan said. “Bazoombas, bazoombas.”

Warren ignored him and kept walking toward the girl. He removed the earpiece and dropped into a martini glass.

The feedback caused Jonathan the shout, pulling his own headset off. “Ass.” He said, keeping his eyes on the monitor.

Warren slid into the chair beside the woman. “So how did you get so beautiful?”

The girl laughed sarcastically. “Okay, does that line usually work…?” She stared at him and immediately stopped smiling. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Warren grinned. “It’s nice to see you again too, Katrina.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “Yeah, it’s the seeing you part that’s throwing me here, Warren, because I thought I was pretty clear with the never wanting that to happen again.”

He shrugged. “Never’s a long time, baby.” He held up a folded bill between his fingers, gesturing to the bartender.

“Apparently not long enough.” She said, bitterly.

He sighed. “Oh, you’re not still sore about that thing, are you?”

She stared him in the eye. The bartender tried to refill her glass from a bottle of wine, but she put her hand over it to stop him. She did  _not_  want to be drunk around him. “What  _thing_  would that be exactly? What, the wind-up slut you tinkered together? Or when Little Miss Nuts and Bolts tried to choke me to death?”

Warren gave a sincerely forlorn look. “Okay, so I’ve made a few mistakes…” He began.

She shook her head, interrupting him. “No. No, I did. For ever lowering myself to be with a jerk like you.” She said, getting to her feet.

He shot up, grabbing her arm. “Don’t say that.”

She stared at him, shaking her head in disbelief. “Well, what did you expect, to just… waltz in here and sweep me off my feet with your cheesy lines and fancy suit?”

He sighed. “No, I ju – I just thought…we could talk. I thought maybe we could work things out.”

She again shook her head, gathering her purse. “There’s nothing to work out. What you did was sick. And just looking at you makes me want to vomit.”

Warren reached into his jacket pocket. “You sure about that?” He slid the red sunglasses on his face.

“Yes, god yes, I’m sure.” She said, turning back to him.

He dug into another pocket and pulled the Cerebral Dampener out and opened his hand. The subtle flash reflected off of Katarina’s eyes. She stood motionless a moment before looking at him intently. She gave a soft smile. “I love you, Master.”

Warren grinned, taking off his sunglasses. “I love you, too baby.”

 

“I was telling T-bear that she’d…stay down!” Faith said, spinning to backhand the vampire to the dirt. “That double B would probably appreciate it.” She kicked the undead beast in the face, dazing him. She dropped to her knee and slammed the stake home, dusting him. She rose to her feet. “What do you think?”

Spike wrapped his arm about the vampire’s head and ran forward, driving his cranium into a headstone. The creature fell to the ground. “I think it’s a good idea, it has to be said.” He gripped the vamps lapels and lifted him. He punched the demon in the face with a hard right cross, came around with a hammer hard backhand and issued another right. The vampire spiraled to the grass. Spike then lifted him over his head and threw him toward Faith.

The slayer ducked below the flying vampire and stabbed him as flew overhead. He landed as nothing more than a torrent of dust.

“Be sort of like…closure for all of us. A sort of…I don’t know. Changing of the guard or something.” Spike said. He pulled another smoke out and lit it up. “That and since Buffybot’s been pieced back together, she’d been doin’ rather well for herself. That boy she’s with, what’s his name? David?”

“Daniel.” Faith said. “I know you still don’t like the idea of…”

He waved his hand dismissively. “None of my business, truth be told.” He took a long drag off his cigarette. “Circuits and metal or flesh and bone. She’s her own person and gets to make her own choices.” He leaned back against the headstone and looked up at the stars. “Truthfully, it wasn’t her I was in love with.”

Faith moved over and rested beside him. “Did I ever tell you that I loved her, too?”

He looked at Faith. “Really?”

“Hand to god. When I was first in Sunnydale. I fell for her, too. Knew it would never happen, though. She was way too straight laced for that.”

Spike chuckled. “Yeah, she was pretty vanilla. Aside from the Angel thing. Never understood that, to be honest.”

“I saw what she saw in him.” Faith said. “I know, being all evil and shit, you don’t see things the same way as most. And as much as I wanna say I’ve seen the dark side and all that bullshit, I really never even approached the evil, the  _darkness_  you two did.”

Spike nodded. “I was always in it for the party. I never thought about the victims. Never gave much thought to the nature of what I am. Just what I could do with it.”

Faith looked at him. “Can I ask you an honest question?” He looked at her. “This goes no further than right here, right now, regardless of what your answer is.” She stood in front of him. “If, right this second, that chip was removed, what would you do? Would you go back to how you were? Evil, sadistic? Would you be the ‘Big Bad’ again?”

He stared at her for a long time. He took another drag on his cigarette and blew the smoke up and away. “I don’t rightly know, slayer.” He said, softly. “I think…I think maybe I’ve changed.” As she smiled, he shook his head. “I’m not sayin’ I’m all rainbows and kittens, love. I’m still a vampire. There’s still a demon in here…” He said, tapping his chest. He paused a moment, thinking. “But I think…I can feel that it’s not in control anymore. At least not as much as he once was, right?” He sighed and dropped his butt onto the ground, grinding it beneath his boot heel. “It’s different now. For almost two years I haven’t been able to do what I wanted. I’ve had to live by the rules. Just like you lot. The dark parts of what makes us what we are seems to be perfectly happy killing his own. I don’t…I don’t lust for the kill the way I used to.” He looked at Faith. “Remember when you first came back into town? You remember what I said?”

She nodded. “That if not for the chip in your head, you’d be trying to eat me?”

He gave a soft chuckle. “Wasn’t the truth. I think even back then I was different. I’m not the same vampire I was back in the day. I’m just like Angel now. His soul is mystical, mine is a hunk of technology crammed into my noggin. But either way, neither of us can do what we want, when we want, to who we want. We gotta be careful or it hurts.” He smiled. “Mine just hurts worse.”

She looked at him a moment before leaning and kissing him lightly on the lips. “You’re a good man, Spike. Everything you’ve done for this family…” She kissed him again. “For  _your_  family, I can’t thank you enough.”

He couldn’t help but feel good at the words. Yes, he was a vampire. Yes, he was still evil as hell…and yes, he loved causing trouble. But to these select few people, Spike was wanted. He was accepted. He was home.

“Come on. I’m sure there’s more things out here we can beat the shit out of.” Faith said, turning and walking away.

He chuckled and followed behind, staring at her shapely butt.

 

Jonathan and Warren stood in the fancy hotel room smiling at each other. Katrina, dressed in a classic black and white French maid outfit filled both their glasses from a bottle of champagne.

“Thank you, baby,” Warren said, happily.

“My pleasure, Master.” Katrina offered seductively.

“That is so cool,” Jonathan said. He looked her over. The short skirt, fishnet stockings, and the high heels made her legs look fantastic. “I really could’ve used one of these in high school.”

Warren lifted his glass. “To crime.”

Jonathan tapped his glass. “To crime.” He took a sip. “Crime tastes funny.” He went about circling her, shaking his head. “Wow.” He lifted the back of her skirt. “I still think I would have gone with the bazoombas, but…” He looked at Warren as he stepped out from behind her. “Wow. She’s really cute.”

Warren stepped closer to her. “Cute?” He asked, annoyed. “Look at her, man! The…the shape of her lips. The smooth, silky skin. The way her nose…” He chuckled. “The way her nose crinkles when she laughs…” He shook his head. “She’s perfect.”

Jonathan stared at him. Slowly he giggled nervously. “Yeah. She’s totally hot.”

“So are you, Master,” Katrina said, her voice soft.

“Y-you think so?” Jonathan said, trying to stand a little taller.

“Oh, yes, master.”

Jonathan looked at her nervously for a moment then smiled widely. “Okay…so…how do we…you know?” He motioned to the bedroom. “Who gets to…?”

Warren draped an arm over her shoulders. “I do.”

Jonathan glared at him. “That’s not fair. You didn’t call it.”

Warren sneered at him. “Oh, I don’t have to call it, Sparky. She’s mine. But don’t worry.” He took the champagne bottle from her and gave it to Jonathan. “You can play with her all you want…after I’m done with her.”

The dark haired boy watched as Warren and Katrina left the main area and went into the bedroom.

He sighed and set the bottle down. He took another drink of the champagne and coughed. “Yeah, this isn’t gonna grow on me.” He said, setting the glass down as well. He sat, lifted the remote and turned on the TV. He turned the volume up so he wouldn’t have to hear what was happening in the bedroom.

A couple minutes later what was happening in the bedroom…didn’t stay there. Suddenly, Warren came flying out of the bedroom, landing on the floor and sliding across the carpet.

Katrina, rage filling her eyes, stormed out beside him, throwing the little white had at him. “What did you do to me?!” She screamed at him.

“Get the Dampener!” Warren shouted, rising to his feet.

Jonathan quickly began looking around the room, trying to remember where he’d put it.

Katrina looked at him. “Who the hell are you?”

Jonathan was frantic now. “Um, your Master?”

“My what?!” She snapped, incensed.

“Where’d you put it?!” Warren cried out. “You had it last!”

Katrina stepped up to him. “Are you kidding me?!”

Warren again turned the Jonathan. “Get the dampener!”

“You were gonna share me with this dork?!” She said, pushing him back.

Warren put on his red sunglasses. Jonathan did likewise. “Hey!” He said as he lifted the dampener. “We’re supervillains!” He smiled. “Call us ‘Master’.” He opened his hand. The globe flashed weakly, sputtering. Katrina just stared at it. “Aw crap. It’s out of juice.”

Katrina looked back at Warren. “Is that what you used on me?! Oh my god! First the skank-bot and now this?! What is wrong with you?” She again slammed her palms into his chest.

“I just, I wanted us to be together!” Warren said, trying to placate the enraged woman.

She shook her head. “There is no  _us_ , Warren! Get that through your big meaty head! I am not your girlfriend anymore!”

Jonathan looked at Warren incredulously. “She’s your ex?” He shook his head. “Dude, that is messed up.”

Katrina looked at him. “Oh, you think?” She said stalking toward him. “You pair of little boys, playing at being men.” She towered over him. “Well, this is not some fantasy! It’s not a game, you freak! It’s rape!”

Jonathan was stunned. “What?” He staggered back from her. “No…I didn’t…”

Katrina began crying, still furious. “You’re both sick.” She pointed to Warren. “And I’m going to make sure you get locked up for this. And then we’ll see how you like getting raped.” She began walking toward the door.

“Stop her!” Warren said, moving toward her.

Jonathan grabbed her arm, getting dragged across the floor. “Get off me!” She shouted, trying to shove him off. She punched him in the face and kneed him in the groin. The smaller boy fell to the floor, clutching his genitals.

Warren rushed her, tackling her to the ground. She raked her fingernails down his face, drawing blood. Warren yelled in pain but managed to hold her down. He gripped the champagne bottle from the table and drew back, bashing her across the temple with it. She immediately stopped moving. He got to his feet and stepped back from her. “Charge the Cerebral Dampener.”

Jonathan staggered over, still in pain. He looked down at her. “Warren…” He said, shaking his head.

“Charge the Dampener!” He said, moving to grab it. “Get her up.”

Jonathan knelt beside her. Placing his fingers on her neck.

“We’ll give her another dose.” He said, wiping the blood with his sleeve. “A strong one.” He saw Jonathan stone still, staring at the girl. “Everything’s all right. Everything’s…gonna be all right.”

Jonathan slowly looked at Warren, shaking his head. “I don’t think so.” He paused a moment. “She’s dead.”

Warren stared at him. It slowly dawned on him. Being supervillains was fine as long as no one was really hurt. But now, because of one of their schemes, there was a body. A corpse of their own making. They’d crossed a line. He looked at Jonathan and could see that the boy was terrified. When it was all fun and games, it was one thing. But now…now they were simply murderers. If they were discovered, it was prison time for the both of them. No technology in the world was going to save them if the law found out what they had done.

Jonathan began to panic. “Oh god, oh god, oh god.”

Warren bent over the body, examining it. “Maybe she’s not…I mean you could have…”

“No. That’s…not…” Jonathan was crying now. “This isn’t happening.”

Warren began pacing. “I just, I gotta…I gotta, lemme think.”

The smaller boy rushed over, grabbing Warren by the shirt. “What did you do? What the hell did you do?!”

Warren gripped Jonathan back and shoved him up against the wall. “ _We_  did this. Me and you. It’s on both of us.” He stepped back, letting the boy go. “We, uh, we have to get…we have to get r-rid of it.”

“How?” Jonathan asked, rubbing his chest.

Warren shook his head. “Uh, uh, may-maybe a spell. Can you teleport it out of here?” He turned to the body.

Jonathan followed his eyes and sighed. “No, she’s…” He growled in frustration. “It’s too big. I wish Andrew was here. He could summon some sort of demon that could devour her body. Like a Jarvlen Flesh Eater.”

“Well, he’s not!” Warren snapped. “Besides, Jarvlen Flesh Eater would go for us, too.”

“Oh, well that’s it, man. We’re screwed.” Jonathan said, falling onto the edge of the sofa. “We’re so screwed.”

Warren continued pacing. “No. We just have to stay calm.”

“Tell that to your girlfriend!” Jonathan shouted.

“Ex-girlfriend!” Warren corrected.

The smaller boy shook his head. “It doesn’t matter! There’s a link. You knew her, so there’s a link. You don’t think Faith, or Tara or, heck  _Willow_ will be able to put that together? That’s what they do, they’ll figure it out!”

Warren sighed. “I don’t think…”

“It was an accident. Maybe if we turn ourselves in…” Jonathan began, perking up.

“No,” Warren said, darkly.

“You know I’m right. If we go to the police now…”

“I am not going to jail,” Warren said, his voice now cold as steel.

“We can’t hide this,” Jonathan said, panic filling him. “Sooner or later, the slayer’s gonna find out she’s dead.”

Warren stared at him and smiled, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Well, then maybe it should be sooner.”

“Are you insane?”

“Listen to me…” Warren began.

“No!” Jonathan countered.

“Listen!” He knelt in front of Jonathan. “We have two problems. The body, and the slayer. Well, what if there was a way that we could take care of them both…with one big stone?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next few chapters, obviously, encompass the events of the season six episode ‘Dead Things’. The episode itself was very weak and I honestly considered skipping it. But upon closer inspection, I felt that maybe I could do something a little different with it.  
> Now, I am going to cop to the fact that this particular chapter takes A LOT of dialog from the show. Two thirds of the chapter is directly from the scripting of the episode itself. I freely admit that yes, this is cheating. I did try to give it a more natural flow and tried to add scenery and imagery to it.  
> But credit where credit is due. Mr. Steven S. DeKnight offered up most of the dialog and I am giving him his props. As with previous chapters that I have drawn dialog from, I saw no reason to change what works. The man wrote a good script. That’s why he’s rich and I’m not. So hats off to Steven for his great writing.  
> Now sit back, relax and hopefully, enjoy.


	49. Chapter 49

Tara and Willow both lay with their heads in their hands, watching Faith sleep. “Sh-she’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Tara asked, softly.

Willow nodded. “I’ve always thought she was pretty. Even when she first came to Sunnydale.”

“I’ve never asked, but…” Tara bit her lip. “Did you really hate her when she first showed up?”

Willow shook her head. “No. I mean not really. I was really insecure back then. Buffy was my best friend. I liked spending time with her. Since we were sophomores in high school, Xander and I had been a part of her life. A part of the whole slayer thing. Then Faith came along and all of that seemed to stop.” She reached down and brushed an errant lock of hair from Faith’s face. “I didn’t understand it then, but I do now. With Faith at her back, Buffy didn’t have to worry as much about her getting hurt. Faith could take whatever came her way and could fight just as hard as her. No matter how much we wanted to be, Xander and I were never in Buffy’s league.” She smiled. “It was her way of protecting us.” She looked at Tara. “Spike, back when he first got his chip and realized that he could hurt demons, said something to me and Xander. I know he was just trying to drive a wedge between all three of us, but he made sense and, in a way, he was right. He said that we were holding Buffy back. That she would do better if she didn’t have to save us all the time.”

Tara nodded. “I think he’d ch-change his tune now.” She said, smiling at her lover. “You’ve come a long way since those days.” She looked down at the sleeping slayer. “She appreciates us being here for her. And I’m betting she’s glad we don’t go out and patrol with her. Even as strong as we are, she would still worry.” She leaned down and pecked Faith on the lips.

She was surprised when Faith wrapped her arms around the blonde witch’s head and kissed her in earnest. She giggled as Tara pulled back, staring down at her. “You w-were faking?”

Faith looked up at the pair and nodded. “Sorry. You two just sounded so cute, I couldn’t interrupt.”

Willow lifted her eyes to Tara, smiling and raising an eyebrow. The blonde nodded and pounced on Faith with the redhead. They began tickling her mercilessly. “Say, uncle, slayer,” Willow said, digging her fingers into Faiths’ ribs.

The brunette laughed uproariously, half-heartedly fending the girls off. “Never!” She cried, between breaths. The trio rolled about on the bed, chortling and chuckling. “A slayer never gives up.” She grabbed Willow’s hand around the wrists. “Ha-hah!”

Tara immediately cast a spell and waved her hand, pushing Faith down, spread-eagle in the bed. “Gotcha!”

“Oh, this is so cheating.” Faith said. Try as she might, she couldn’t move a muscle. Her heart began speeding up. Her pulse raced. Her breathing quickened. She was starting to panic. There were very few things that Faith was actually afraid of. Being restrained was one of them. Being restrained cost her Diana Dormer, her watcher. Being restrained got her captured by the Watcher’s Council not once, but twice. And she spent a year and a half in prison, the ultimate restraint. Yeah, it was safe to say Faith was so not into bondage.

They both saw the panic. “You should let her go, sweetie.” Willow offered.

Tara looked down into Faith’s eyes. She swallowed. “D-do you trust us?”

“Yes.” Faith said, softly.

“You don’t like this, do you?” Tara asked, drawing her finger down Faith’s naked chest. The slayer shook her head. “Why?”

“Not being able to move cost me a lot.” Faith said. “My watcher, my freedom…I don’t like being restrained.”

“You know how to get over your fears, don’t you?” Tara asked her. “You have to face them.” She looked at Willow and nodded. She then turned to Faith’s legs and gestured. They spread further apart. The redhead smiled and slid down the bed. Tara then regarded Faith. “You just need a more positive memory associated with being held captive by someone else.” She leaned down and kissed the brunette as Willow went to work.

Faith quickly came to realize, as she was held motionless and her girlfriends had their wicked, wicked way with her…that maybe, under the right circumstances, being restrained wasn’t quite so bad.

Dawn stepped out of her room with her school clothes and a towel. She stopped in front of the door to the master bedroom and shook her head as she heard the noises coming from within. “Good lord.” She said, rolling her eyes and heading for the bathroom. “Every damn morning.”

She showered, dried herself and dressed. She dropped the towel onto the floor to catch any residual moisture and went back to her room. She loaded her backpack for the day and sat down at her vanity to do her makeup. She looked at her arms in the sleeveless shirt she was wearing and smiled.

She had wonderful muscle tone and looked damn good. Since Faith worked longer hours, she and Dawn, sadly no longer worked out as much. They still got together on weekends to go running and to hit the pads. Now, after school before work, Dawn trained with Giles at the Magic Box. She didn’t mind it so much. Giles was a good teacher and passed a lot on to her.

She finished up with a bit of eyeshadow, eyeliner and a touch of blush. Given her pale skin, it was necessary. Otherwise, she looked like a zombie. She rose from the seat, took her black leather jacket from the hanger on her door and trotted down the stairs. She dropped her backpack and coat on the edge of the sofa and went into the kitchen.

Daniel stood at the stove, cooking. He turned as he saw her come in and smiled. “Mornin’ Dawn.”

“Good morning, Daniel.” She said, hopping up onto the stool. “Whatcha cookin’? Smells like bacon.”

“I’m cooking oatmeal. Not sure why it would smell like bacon.” He said.

“Really?” Dawn asked, confused. “How the hell did you…?”

“I’m cooking bacon.” He said, chuckling. “Sorry. Couldn’t resist.”

“Butt,” Dawn said, tossing a packet of sugar at him.

Buffybot came up from the basement, dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top. She moved over and took two big handfuls of his bottom. “And a very nice butt it is.” She moved around and kissed him. “Sexy boyfriend.”

He looked down at his baggy sweats and loose hanging t-shirt. “I don’t know about that sexy line.”

“She’s a woman in love, D.” Faith said, stepping into the kitchen. Her hair was still wet from the shower. She was clad in a black tank top, a pair of faded jeans and her work boots. “Far as she’s concerned, you’d look good in a garbage bag.” She ruffled Dawn’s hair as she went by.

“Damn it, Faith,” Dawn said, swinging her hands around, shooing the older girl away. “I already brushed my hair this morning.” She began smoothing her hair.

Faith grabbed a can of soda out of the fridge and leaned against it, drinking. “Please, little D. You’re a Summers. There’s no time during the day when you don’t look good.” She looked at her watch and sighed. “Christ. I don’t even have time for breakfast.” She said, sadly.

“You would have if you didn’t spend the morning having sex with your girlfriends.” Dawn snipped.

Faith stared at her, with a huge grin. “Some things are worth sacrificing for.”

Daniel turned and held a plate up to the girl with a pair of bacon, egg, and cheese English muffins. “Like I’d let you leave the house without breakfast.”

She smiled and him and pulled him in, kissing his cheek. “Good lookin’ out, Big D.” She said, quickly tearing into the sandwiches. “Gotta get an early start today.”

He nodded and went back to work, making a pair of the sandwiches for Dawn. “How is the project going, anyway?”

“We’re way ahead of schedule. Lookin’ at a nice bonus when it’s all said and done.” She said. “Which reminds me, Tony wants me to stay on with the crew. All the damage done during the Glory bullshit needs to be fixed and the company has the contract for all of it. Figures it’s gonna be a good twenty-eight to thirty-six months of steady work.”

“That’s good news,” Dawn said.

“How you doin’ at the DMP?” Faith asked. “Double B runnin’ you ragged?”

“Not really.” Dawn offered. “She’s a great manager. She’s a stickler for the rules, though.” She said, pouting.

“What’s that look for?” Faith asked, giggling.

“Dawn went over her break by four minutes,” Buffybot said. “I had to reprimand her. Now she hates me.” She said, sadly.

Faith laughed as Dawn rolled her eyes. “She doesn’t hate you, B. Do you Dawn?”

“No,” Dawn said, moving over and hugging the girl. “You were just doing your job. Because of you, I’m doing my job right.”

Buffybot smiled brightly at her. “Thank you, Dawnie.” She said, happily.

“Don’t feel bad,” Daniel said, handing the plate to Dawn. “Every once in a while she chews me out, too. And I’m sleeping with her.”

“Yeah, but you dig on it when she’s all bossy.” Faith said, downing her coke and tossing it into the recycling bin.

“True,” Daniel said, kissing his girl. “I dig on everything about her.”

Faith dropped her plate into the sink and made her way to the living room. She trotted up the stairs and opened the bedroom door to see both Tara and Willow dressing for the day. “Just wanted a kiss before I had to split.” She said, pulling the girls in. “And thanks for what you did for me this morning.” She offered, kissing them both sensually. “It meant a lot to me.”

“W-we love you, Faith,” Tara said, softly. “Always will.”

Willow nodded. “Thanks for trusting us.”

“Always, Red. Always.” She kissed them both again. “Love you both. I’ll see you tonight. Have a good day at school.”

“You have a good day at work,” Willow said.

“Be safe,” Tara added. They both watched as Faith grabbed her jacket and trotted out of the room and down the stairs. Tara then turned to Willow. “Did you ever think, when you first met her that you’d be sharing a bed with her?”

The redhead shook her head. “No.” She then blushed and went back to dressing.

Tara stared a moment. “Why are you blushing?” She asked, curiously.

“When she first showed up…” Willow lifted her eyes slowly to Tara. “I kinda had a crush on her.”

“Really?” Tara asked, bluntly. “I m-mean…really?”

Willow chuckled as she pulled her pants on. “Is it really that surprising?” She asked. “That’s probably the reason I was so jealous and so bitter toward her. Because she was spending so much time with Buffy.”

“And not you?” Tara asked. “That…kind of makes sense, actually.”

“Oh, don’t you think for a moment that I don’t remember you checking her out when she and Buffy switched bodies.” It was Tara’s turn to blush. “I thought so!” Willow said, pointing with a smile. “I actually didn’t see you checking her out.”

“You little vixen!” Tara said, jumping at her, tackling her onto the bed, tickling her.

“I didn’t say I blamed you,” Willow said, between laughs. “She’s really pretty.”

Tara got up and sat on the edge of the bed. “I was just…when Faith was in Buffy’s body I saw how angry she was. How tired she seemed. She was so alone.” Tara said, suddenly hugging herself tightly. “God, Willow the pain she was in.” She shook her head. “I really didn’t expect her to survive much longer. Not like that.”

Willow sat beside her. “She’s come a long way.”

“She just needed someone to not give up on her,” Tara said, tears in her eyes. She stood and moved around to the nightstand and lifted the telephone, sitting and dialing.

“Who are you calling?” Willow asked her.

Tara looked at her and put the phone on speaker.

“Angel Investigations, we help the helpless.” Angel’s voice sounded over the phone. A baby fussing could be heard in the background.

Tara and Willow both smiled brightly. “Good morning, Angel,” Tara said, happily. “How’s Connor?”

“Oh, hey Tara.” Angel returned. “He’s doing great. I’m just sitting down to give him some breakfast.”

“He sounds happy,” Willow said.

“He’s a very happy baby.” Angel gave his son a genuine smile. “And he misses his aunties, doesn’t he?” He tickled the infant under the chin, earning a blubbering giggle for his efforts.

“We just called to thank you.” Tara offered.

“For what?” He asked, curiously.

“For Faith,” Willow said, warmly. “For not giving up on her, even though she’d given up on herself.”

“I couldn’t. I couldn’t give up on her. She was a slayer. The powers that be chose her for a reason. There had to be something good in her.” He chuckled. “We fought. Did you know that?”

“No,” Willow said, looking at Tara with a furrowed brow. “Buffy and Faith never said anything.”

“Yeah. We went at it. She’d just captured and tortured Wesley. She…she begged me. She begged me to kill her.” He shook his head. “But I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to do that to her. Angelus, the vampire I was, is past salvation. Nothing I say, nothing I do will ever balance out what I did then. But Faith? She wasn’t lost, not completely. I could see it, I could tell, even then.” He chuckled. “No one who was beyond redemption would ever break down in tears, begging to die.”

“But you didn’t,” Tara said. “You helped her. You saved her.”

“No,” Angel said. “I may have started her on the path, but she’s the one that took the steps. She turned herself in and sat in prison. She could have broken out anytime she wanted, but she kept herself there. That was all on her, not me.”

“But if not for you, she would never have gotten there,” Willow said. “Don’t sell yourself short, Angel. Faith owes you her life. And we owe you our gratitude for doing what you did for her. Cordelia and Wesley would never have been willing to give her the chance. Not the way you did.”

Angel actually laughed. “Cordelia and Wesley wouldn’t have survived it. I’m not kidding, ladies. She beat the hell out of me.”

“But you let her,” Tara said. “Because you knew that was what she needed.”

“Yeah, it was. You know, at the time, I didn’t know it would work.” He sighed. “It was a gamble.”

“We’re glad you took it. She’s doing so well now.” Willow said, smiling.

“When you guys came down for Christmas, I couldn’t believe how much she’d changed. She was so collected. Even Lorne said that he couldn’t believe she was as bad as I’d said she was. You two are doing wonders for her.”

“And we have you to thank for it,” Tara said. “Thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, Angel. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He said, simply. “I hate to have to run, but somebody needs a bath.”

“We’ll talk to you later. Have a good day.” Willow said. “Tell the gang we all said hi.”

“Will do, Willow. You two take care.” He ended the call and went about gathering his son for a bath.

Willow and Tara stared at each other and nodded. They readied for their school day.

 

Dawn sat through her classes, wishing to god she was somewhere else. She’d heard that Tyson Barry, the boy she’d beaten up last week, was out of the hospital. He’d be in bed for the next two weeks and would be able to come back to school soon after. She really didn’t care.

As lunch came around, she took the food that Daniel had packed her and made her way to the quad. She sat at a picnic table and opened the bag, pulling her cell phone out to surf the web as she ate.

She was quickly aware of the shadow that loomed over her. She looked up to see one Hailey Barton, Tyson Barry’s girlfriend. She also had three other girls with her. Dawn knew what was coming. She powered off her phone and stuffed it back into her pocket. She put the sandwich back in her bag and rose from the table.

Hailey, like Tyson, was a senior. Her three friends; a redhead, a blonde and a tall slender black girl – Dawn couldn’t remember their names to save her life – were the same grade. Dawn was a sophomore, yet she still stood the same height as the four of them. Now, she knew full well that she should just walk away. She should just gather her books and her bag and leave, not obliging the angry girl and her stupid friends. It would be the intelligent thing to do.

But to her, that seemed like surrender. She wasn’t going to be bullied. And bullying was exactly what these girls were doing. At least that’s the way Dawn saw it. “What do you want, Hailey?” She asked the girl.

“I wanna know why you beat the shit out of my boyfriend and put him in the hospital.” Hailey snapped.

“Because he doesn’t know how to keep his hands to himself,” Dawn said. “He grabbed my ass.”

“So you broke his ribs and put him the ICU? That’s a touch much, don’t you think?”

“He’s lucky that’s all I did,” Dawn said. “I could have filed sexual harassment charges and put his ass away. I’m only sixteen. He’s eighteen. That carries some serious jail time. Not only that but that would have also gotten him put on the sex offender registry.” Dawn leaned forward. “His life would have been over. Being on that list is something that gets stapled to every job application he ever fills out.”

“But did you have to do all that to him?” She asked. “He just grabbed your butt. That’s no big deal.”

“Maybe not to someone like you, that’s used to getting groped by every guy in a twenty-mile radius. But I’m a little more discriminating about who I let feel me up.” Dawn shook her head. “Anyone wants to try their luck, they get what they deserve. Now I strongly suggest you and the skank brigade take a walk. I’m not in the mood for your shit.”

“I got a better idea,” Hailey said. “How about we…”

“Don’t tell me. Let, me guess. How about you four beat the shit out of me, right?” Dawn sighed. “I wouldn’t suggest it. It’s just gonna end badly for all of you.”

“You got lucky with Tyson. I’ve been studying Karate since I was six.” Hailey said.

It was the last thing she said before Dawn punched her in the throat, dropping her to the ground. “Shows how stupid you are. I just started learning Krav Maga five months ago and here I am all caught up with you.” She looked at the other three girls. “So we gonna do this or what?”

All three girls rushed her at the same time. None of them were centered or had any idea what they were doing. Dawn quickly moved to her right, rolling sideways over the picnic table, putting it between her and the three girls. Blonde moved left, Redhead moved right and the black girl came at her over the table. Dawn swung quickly, taking the dark skinned girls’ legs from beneath her, slamming her down onto the wood. She then drove her elbow down onto the older girl’s solar plexus, blasting all the air from her lungs, dazing her.

As Blonde came around the table, Dawn spun on her heel. Her foot arced around, crashing into the girl’s face, driving her down to the grass hard.

She hardly had a moment to breathe before the Redhead hit her from behind, wrapping her arms around the slender brunette. Dawn though quickly and clenched her fist. She swung backward, driving her hand directly between the girl’s legs. Dawn had learned firsthand that, while it didn’t hurt quite as bad taking a shot between the legs as it did for guys, it still hurt like hell.

Redhead backed off, staggering. Dawn turned and delivered a hard right cross that caught the crimson haired girl across the jaw, spiraling her to the grass. Dawn was shocked when she heard the sound of a muffled cry and something slammed hard into the picnic table and fall to the grass. She spun to see a girl with a backpack clenched in her hands standing over the black girl.

Dawn looked at her and smiled. “Thanks.” She said, happily.

The girl returned her smile. Both girls then turned to see Principal Russell coming toward them with one of the other staff. “Wonderful.” Both girls said in unison.

Dawn drove along, again angered that she was getting suspended. Granted, unlike the other four girls, it was only for the remainder of the day. She looked to the girl beside her. She knew her name was Kit, but beyond that, she knew nothing else about her. “Thanks for helping me out back there.”

Kit smiled shyly at her. “I couldn’t just let her jump you.” She paused a moment. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Dawn said.

Kit swallowed. “Try me.” She said, softly. “You’re going to talk about like, vampires and stuff, huh?”

Dawn cast a quick glance at her. She turned off the main road and drove to the Espresso Pump. “I need caffeine and food. I never did get to eat my lunch.” She looked at Kit. “Come on. My treat. This is a conversation that’s best had on a full stomach.” She climbed out of the Volkswagen and headed inside. The shy brunette followed her, clutching her backpack.

Dawn ordered a pair of mocha lattes and two club sandwiches. She ate voraciously as Kit showed a bit more restraint.

After she was done, Dawn sat back and sipped her latte. “Have you ever heard of the slayer?” She asked.

Kit nodded. “I’ve um, I’ve heard people whisper about her. Some kind of, like, supernatural assassin or something. She hunts and kills vampires and monsters, right?”

Dawn nodded. “What I’m about to tell you goes no further.” Dawn moved closer to the girl. “The last slayer was my sister.”

“Your s-sister?” Kit asked.

Dawn began explaining about Buffy, from when she was called to the day she died. As the older girl listened to the tale, she wanted desperately not to believe Dawn. But she knew the truth. She’d lived in Sunnydale all her life. She’d seen the kinds of things that go on when no one is looking.

She’d had friends just disappear, never to be seen again. And no one ever asked questions. It galled her to no end. She honestly thought, until this moment that she was alone. That maybe she was seeing things no one else could see. But as Dawn spoke, Kit was suddenly heartened that she had someone else that she could confide in. Someone who wouldn’t think she was crazy.

Dawn stared at the girl as she finished explaining. “Scared yet?”

Kit slowly shook her head. “No.” She said, softly. “I’m sorry to hear about your sister and your mom. That’s gotta be tough.” She then bit her lip. “But…I mean you live in a house with another slayer, her two lesbian girlfriends, a robot duplicate of your sister and her boyfriend?”

“Sounds like a bad anime when you say it like that, doesn’t it?” Dawn asked.

Kit offered a timid smile. “Or a really a screwed up sitcom.”

Dawn laughed aloud. “It’s kinda sad, but…I like it. I mean, I miss my mom and sister, but I know everyone there cares about me. They largely leave me alone to do my own thing. They don’t really treat me like a little kid.”

“Sounds like you have a really nice…I’m not sure what to call them. Family?”

Dawn shrugged. “Good a label as any.” She looked at her watch. They’d been talking for almost two hours. “Come on. I should get you home.”

The pair pulled up to the front of Kit’s house. It was a small two bedroom rambler. “You live with your parents?”

“Just my mom and her girlfriend.” Kit said. “And they spend all of their time in the basement painting nudes of each other. They hardly know I exist.”

“They make enough as painters to support you guys?” Dawn asked.

“No.” Kit offered. “It’s just a hobby. Mom divorced my dad about ten years ago and got half of his estate. She only got something like a million bucks, but her girlfriend was originally her stock broker. Thanks to some really good advice, mom made a killing. Now she sits back and paints and that’s it. Sally moved in about a year ago.”

“What about you?” Dawn asked. “You following in your mom’s footsteps?”

“And what? Being a painter?” Kit asked.

Dawn grinned. “Among other things.”

Kit suddenly got what she was getting at and lowered her eyes, nodding slightly. “I had a girlfriend, but she moved away a couple years ago after that little boy got killed in the park. Her parents said they were tired of Sunnydale.”

“Can’t really blame them,” Dawn said. “But I can think of a few things that make this town worth living in.”

Kit looked at her. “It was really nice meeting you.” She bit her lip. “I’ll um, see you tomorrow?”

“Sure,” Dawn said. “You want me to pick you up in the morning?”

Kit smiled. “If you want to.” She said, before climbing out. “See you later, Dawn.”

“Later, Kit.” Dawn offered. She watched the girl make her way up to the house and shook her head. “I’ve been spending way too much time around Faith.” She said, pulling away and heading home.

 


	50. Chapter 50

 

Faith prowled through the cemetery, keep her eyes open. She wasn’t sure why, but somehow, she could tell she was being watched. She’d stretched out with her senses, trying to see if she could feel something, to no avail. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a vampire…it also had her on edge.

Even for all of that, she needed this right now. She needed  _something_  to take her mind off of things at home. It wasn’t as if everything was going horribly. Far from it. Dawn was currently getting a lecture from Willow and Tara. Though Faith was an advocate for standing up for yourself, Dawn, this time was clearly in the wrong. The four girls she beat the snot out of was an unnecessary thing. From what Dawn had said one of the girls was the girlfriend of the boy she put into the hospital and did threaten violence.

The teen could have just walked away. But from Dawn’s own admission, she struck first and put all four girls to the dirt. This time, she earned the balling out that she was receiving.

Given that Faith wasn’t any good with disciplining children, she took off to let Tara and Willow handle it.

She heard a woman screaming and sighed. “Thank you, god.” She said, running toward the sound. She came through a stand of trees to see a girl being chased by a cloaked figure. She leapt and tackled the beast to the ground…

And was laying in the dirt with nothing and nobody around. She furrowed her brow and shot to her feet. “What the fuck?” She asked to no one in particular. She peered around, thoroughly confused. “Okay, I know I’m not nuts. There was a dude with a hooded robe around here somewhere.” A sudden ‘whooshing’ noise caused her to turn about, ready for anything. She saw a pretty brunette girl laying on the ground with her arms wrapped about the back of her head, crying. “Hey, you alright?” She asked, moving toward her. “Look, there’s shit going on, we gotta get outta here. Can you walk?” As soon as she moved to kneel beside the girl, she heard the strange ‘whooshing’ again.

She was again alone in the woods “Okay, really not diggin’ on this shit.” Faith said, looking around, frantically. “Come out where I can see you and we settle this face to fist.”

“What did you do?” She heard a voice whisper. “What did you do, Faith? What did you do?” The voice began to repeat over and over in her ears. “What did you do, Faith? What did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything!” She shouted, looking around. “Shut up!” She screamed, covering her ears.

Suddenly Faith was standing over Spike as he lay on the ground with a busted lip. “Bloody hell, what did you do that for?” He asked, wiping his lip with his hand, looking up at her.

“Spike?” Faith asked, exasperated. “What the hell is…”

The ‘whooshing’ sound again. Faith caught a hard shot across the face from a wrinkly red-faced demon in a cloak. Faith quickly knelt, punching him in the gut as his follow-up blow went wide. She shot up, uppercutting him in the jaw. She then landed a hard straight kick that threw him backward.

Spike was a short distance away, taking on another of the same breed of beast. He drilled the monster across the face, spinning him about. The vampire then stepped up behind and snapped the demon’s neck, dropping him to the dirt, dead. He turned and shouted, “Faith!”

The slayer turned to see another demon coming at her. Her face was rocked aside as the demon punched her.

Another ‘whoosh’. She was again standing in the clearing alone. She was starting to panic now. She’d never heard about or read of anything that could do this kind of thing. She heard someone walking up behind her. She spun…to see Spike coming closer. “Spike?”

“What are you doing out here? Isn’t part of your normal turf, slayer.” He said, lighting a cigarette.

“What the fuck is going on?” Faith asked. “What are you doing here?”

“I thought I heard a scream. Came to check it out. Feelin’ a little bit restless tonight.” Spike said, taking a drag off his smoke. “You okay, slayer? You look a little out of sorts.”

The ‘whoosh’ again. Faith stood toe to toe, battling the red-faced demon. She blocked his punch and spun kicked him to the ground. Spike flew back, landing hard on the grass. “Ow, bloody hell. What did you do that for?” Spike asked, wiping his bloody lip with his sleeve.

Faith looked down at him in utter confusion. She turned as she heard the sound of someone running behind her. The pretty brunette staggered a few steps and dropped to the ground in a fetal position, holding her head and crying.

“Oh, no.” Faith said, backing away from the scene. “I’m not falling for this again.”

Again the ‘whoosh’ noise. Three cloaked demons came at them. Faith traded a few blows with two of them as Spike dealt with a third.

‘Whoosh’, and Faith was again faced with an empty clearing. ‘Whoosh’ she was fighting the demons, hard and taking them apart. ‘Whoosh’, she was alone. ‘Whoosh’ she was again fighting. “Faith!” Spike yelled. ‘Whoosh’, Faith was standing amid the unconscious demons. ‘Whoosh’ she and Spike were still fighting.

Faith felt a hand on her shoulder and spun, unleashing a blow with everything she had. The brunette girl caught the blow full force and was hurled backward, crashing to the ground and rolling down a grassy hill, her body limp and lifeless.

Spike and the demon fought hard as Faith quickly ran after the girl, bounding down the hill. He grabbed the demon and spun him to the ground, punching him hard. The vampire rose to follow Faith, but the demon wasn’t through. He dragged Spike to the grass and straddled him, drawing back to punch him in the face.

Spike went game face in irritation. “Do you mind?” He snapped, punching the demon through the chest. He tossed the beast aside and followed the slayer.

Faith knelt beside the still body of the girl, looking pale as the moon above. “She’s dead, Spike.” She turned her sad eyes to him. “I killed her.”

Spike looked around nervously. “We have to go.” He said, moving toward her.

“What happened?” Faith asked, shaking her head.

“There’s nothing you can do now,” Spike said, lifting her from the ground. “We have to go before someone sees you.”

“What did I do?” Faith whispered in horror. “Oh, god, it’s Finch all over again.”

“We have to go, now!” He gripped her arms and dragged her away. He pulled her around a tree and pushed her against it. The brunette slayer was still in shock. “All right. Listen to me, Faith.” When she didn’t respond, he shook her. “Faith!”

“She’s fuckin’ dead.” Faith said, tears rimming her eyes.

“It was an accident.” He said, sternly.

“I killed her, Spike. I  _killed_.”

“I’m gonna get you home.” He said, softly.

Faith stared at him a moment, then shook her head. “No.” She said, with a sob.

“I’m gonna get you home, and you’re gonna crawl in your warm comfy bed with your girlfriends and you’re gonna stay there!” He pulled her in and hugged her before stepping back. “We’re gonna sort this out. Trust me.”

Faith stopped crying. It was like a switch flipped inside her. “No.” She said, shaking her head. “Not again. Not this time.”

“What are you…?”

Faith pulled her cell phone out. “I’m doing this one right.” She said. “When me and B accidentally killed Deputy Mayor Finch, I ran from it. I tried to hide from it. And it nearly cost me everything. I’ve got a second chance now and I ain’t fuckin’ it up.”

Spike gripped her hand. “What are you doing?”

“I’m calling the one person that’s going to make it better.” She said. “The one person, even back then, that I should have been willing to trust, but couldn’t. I’m not making the same mistake again.” She dialed a number while staring into Spike’s eyes.

“Hello?”

“Tweed? It’s Faith. We’ve got a situation.” She said, simply. “Bystander caught the in the crossfire.”

“Oh, dear.” He said, putting his glasses on. Olivia shifted and moved closer to him in their bed. “Alright. Where are you?”

“In Restfield cemetery. Just past the back gate. In the forested spot near the creek.”

“I’m familiar with the area,” Giles said, sitting up and throwing his feet over the edge of the bed. “Where is the body?”

“About a hundred yards from me. I kind of…Spike pulled me clear of the scene. I kinda freaked out a bit.”

Giles gave a sigh of relief. “You did the right thing. Are you wearing your gloves?”

“Yeah.” Faith said. “I’m decked out.”

“That’s good. Alright. I want you to go home and stay there. Talk with Tara and Willow if you’re in need of counsel. Try not to tell Dawn. She would probably just worry.”

“True. I’ll tell her once everything is quieted down.”

“At your discretion.” He said. “I’ve got some phone calls to make.”

“I don’t wanna get sent up river for this.” Faith said, nervously.

“Don’t worry,” Giles said, reassuringly. “It isn’t the first time it’s happened and it won’t be the last. Slayers past have caused accidental deaths, Faith. You and Buffy weren’t the first.”

“But are the rest of them gonna see it that way?” Faith asked.

“Go home, Faith. Go home, sit down with Tara and Willow and try to forget it. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Thanks, Tweed.” Faith said, smiling. “I’ll talk to you later.” She put her phone back into her pocket. She looked at Spike. “Thanks for not abandoning me.”

He grinned widely at her. “No worries, slayer. Let’s go. Let the Council do their work.” He put a hand on her back as she walked toward her car. He ended up driving, just letting her unwind and deal with what had happened.

They pulled up to the driveway and into the garage. Faith saw Dawn’s little blue Volkswagen and sighed. “Great. Little D is here.” She looked at Spike. “I can’t talk to her about this. Not yet.”

“I can take care of her if you want,” Spike said.

“That is such a loaded statement, it isn’t even funny.” Faith said with a raised eyebrow.

“Didn’t sound quite that off in my head.” He said. “I mean I can take little bit out for an ice cream cone or something. Have her show off her new car. Haven’t actually gotten to ride in it yet.”

Faith smiled. “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.” They stepped out of the car and went into the house. Tara was at the stove cooking Faith some food. She knew how Faith got after a night of slaying. The food would tackle the first part of the post slay appetites.

Dawn sat at the island talking happily with the blonde. “Hey, Faith. You look like you had fun.”

“It was an interesting night.” Faith said. “Hey, squirt. Why don’t you take Spike for a drive and show off your new wheels?” She pulled a couple twenties out of her pocket. “Go grab some ice cream or something.”

“You’re gonna be talking about me, aren’t you?” Dawn asked.

“Actually, no,” Spike said. “I genuinely want a ride in your little Bug, there Poppit.”

Dawn looked from Faith to Spike, and back again. “What’s going on?”

Faith sighed. “I promise, it’s nothing about you. I’ll tell you later, okay? Right now I need to talk to my girls and I need some privacy.”

Dawn stared at her a moment longer then nodded. “Okay.” She said. If Faith said she’d tell her later, then she would. Dawn trusted the slayer to keep her word. “Come on, Spike.” She said, gathering her keys and her wallet. “It’s actually really fast.” The pair left the house through the front door.

Willow came into the kitchen. “Why was Spike here?”

“T-bear, you should probably turn that off.” Faith said. “I got something that I gotta talk to you two about.”

“It’s actually done,” Tara said, turning the skillet filled with ground hamburger off. “I was making home-made burritos.”

“Sounds awesome.” Faith said. “But I wanna get this out in the open before we eat.” She led the girls into the living room and had them sit down. “Double B and Daniel around?”

“They’re both working the late shift,” Willow said. “They won’t be back till after one.”

“Good.” Faith said. “This is gonna be hard enough.” She began pacing, flexing her fingers and occasionally running her hand through her hair.

Willow and Tara were starting to get worried. They held hands, watching their girlfriend pace nervously. “It’s alright,” Willow said, finally. “Whatever it is, we’ll get through it together.”

“You might not be saying that after you hear what I have to say, Red.”

“You’re not breaking up with us, are you?” The redhead asked, her voice filled with emotion.

That caused Faith to stop. “What?” She was shocked by the question. “No. I mean, after I tell you what happened, you two might wanna break it off with me.” Before they could say anything else, Faith just came right out with it. “Tonight, I accidentally killed someone.”

Both girls paled. Tara offered a look of sympathy and reassurance. Willow’s face was a combination of anger, fear, and concern. She was angry because Faith, who was supposedly reformed had, yet another death to her credit. She was afraid, because Faith may very well once again be thrown off the deep end by it. And she was concerned for her girlfriend because she loved Faith and didn’t like seeing her so torn apart.

Willow quickly realized that her anger was ridiculously misplaced. She knew, deep down that Faith would not willingly slaughter someone. She truly felt terrible, which meant it was not intentional. But the fear and the worry were both still there.

“What happened?” Tara asked her. She wanted to run over and offer Faith a hug, telling her that everything would be alright, but she knew that Faith needed to just vent and explain things in her own way, in her own time.

“I was patrolling through Restfield, just lookin’ for vamps like a normally do. I heard this girl screaming…” She went on to tell them about the weird time-hopping demons, Spike’s involvement and the resulting death. She was shaken, but she was able to recall all of it. She also informed them that she had called Giles and he said that she shouldn’t worry.

“Well…” Tara began. “I’m sure the Watcher’s Council has procedures in place to handle this kind of thing. If Giles says not to worry, then I would trust him.”

Faith gave her a warm smile. She then turned to Willow. The girl had sat back on the sofa with her arms crossed. She looked in deep contemplation. She stared at Faith for a long time. She could see the whirlwind of emotions on the slayer’s face. Most prominent was fear. Willow thought she might understand that source of that fear. Faith was afraid that she’d done something unforgivable. If Willow were to be honest with herself, five months ago, she probably wouldn’t have forgiven Faith for something like this. She’d have chalked it up to Faith just being beyond help and left it at that. But now, she knew better. Faith was reckless, to be sure. She was still into ‘finding the fun’ when she went out slaying, but she wasn’t a killer. Those days were gone. That person that Faith was before died in prison.

This Faith was a compassionate and loving person that needed their support. She needed to be reminded that she wasn’t what she used to be. And Willow would be willing to give her that.

But not yet. The redhead rose to her feet. She said nothing as she went upstairs to the bedroom they shared. Faith watched her and moved over to sit beside Tara. “She hates me.” The brunette slayer said. “She’s never gonna trust me again.”

“Th-that’s not true,” Tara said. She cradled Faith’s head in her arms as the girl wept.

Willow came down the stairs with her backpack on. She stopped and looked at the pair. Tara gave her a stern look. Faith didn’t even bother looking up. “Faith?” Willow said, softly. As the slayer looked at her, Willow gave her a soft smile. “I love you.” She said, before leaving the house.

Faith immediately felt better. Those three simple words made all the difference in the world to her. She could dare to hope that her world wasn’t coming apart at the seams.

Willow pulled up to the cemetery and climbed out of the Jeep. She pulled the large black Maglite from the back and made her way through the graveyard. When Deputy Mayor Finch died, everyone, herself included, was quick to blame Faith solely for his death.

But since then, Willow had done some of her own research. And she learned a startling truth about Finch’s death. According to the autopsy report, the cause of death was labeled as severe trauma to the back and ribs, culminating in a puncture of the lung as well as a major puncture of the chest cavity. From what Willow could determine, due to the fact that Finch was sitting on the ground at an odd angle, Faith’s stake grazed his heart.

The coroner’s professional finding was that both injuries conspired to do him in. With proper medical attention, he would have been able to survive one or the other, but not both. So in the basest context, both Faith  _and_  Buffy were responsible for him dying. Not  _just_  Faith.

So when Faith revealed that she’d killed a girl, Willow wanted to know for sure. Faith may have been reckless when she fought, and yes, she might have struck a bystander by accident, but killing someone with one punch, even with slayer strength was a difficult feat to achieve.

And it also made no sense that someone who was being saved would hang around to watch someone fighting the demons that were originally trying to eat them or devour their souls or…whatever these particular beasts wanted to do.

It all seemed just a little too… _rehearsed_ for Willow’s liking. She clicked on the flashlight and made her way to the spot past Restfield where the girl was supposed to be lying. She found the spot rather quickly. Three dead demons with cloaks lay about. One of which had a hole the size of a human fist through his chest. She pulled her digital camera and snapped some photos of the beasts to study later and determine what they were. She then began looking around the area for the girl’s body.

She found her lying several yards away at the bottom of the hill. She moved slowly toward her. She gripped the flashlight tightly. In a town where the dead very rarely, if ever, stayed that way, one learned to be cautious.

The body, fortunately – or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it – didn’t move.

She knelt beside the girl to begin examining the body. She quickly took photos before pulling a pair of latex gloves from her pack. As soon as she touched the body, Willow stopped and smiled. “Faith didn’t do this.” She said, happily. Rigor mortis had fully set in. She was stiff as a proverbial board. Willow knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that to reach this stage, the girl had to have been dead for a minimum of ten to twelve hours. Faith claimed the incident happened just an hour prior.

Wanting to be a hundred percent certain what had killed the girl, Willow continued her inspection. In a heartbeat, Willow recognized the girl. “Katrina.” She said, sadly. The last time Willow had seen her was a year ago at a party with Warren. April, the robot that he’d built when he was in college came to town looking for him. According to Buffy, she’d nearly killed Katrina in the process. From what Willow had heard, the pair had called it quits after that.

Now here she was, dead in a cemetery. Willow felt a deep sense of sympathy for the girl. She sighed and shook her head, and got down to it.

Setting aside, for the moment, the fact that she’d been dead for hours, Willow put the rest of the facts in order. From what Faith had said, Katrina came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. That, in and of itself was strange. Katrina, with all she’d endured at the hands of April, would have run as fast as she could as soon as whatever was chasing her was distracted. That she hung around and tried to get Faith’s attention by grabbing her was just stupid. And as someone that was brilliant enough to attend the prestigious Dutton Technical University, Katrina was  _so_  not a stupid person.

Willow looked at the girl’s face. Bizarrely, she couldn’t see any bruising or any evidence that the girl had even been struck. Faith had said that she felt the impact. Yet, Willow could find no evidence of it whatsoever. Whatever Faith had struck, it wasn’t this girl. From what Willow knew of medical science, dead bodies wouldn’t bruise as such. So she went further and inspected closer. She looked around Katrina’s lips, inside her mouth and pressed lightly on the cheekbones and jawbone. There would, at the very least, be cuts or lacerations on the inside of the mouth or fractures on the cheek and the jaw.

Katrina had neither. Her face held the same flawless beauty that it always had. Willow was stumped. She inspected the neck to make certain that the girl didn’t have a bite mark. Not finding any, she checked to see if the neck was broken. Then, as she was feeling about the back of the girl’s head, she found what she was looking for. She rolled Katrina over and saw the blood matting her hair. 

There, beneath her thick brown hair, just at the base of her skull was a massive gash all the way to the bone. Someone had struck her from behind with something. She pulled her digital camera out and snapped photos of the injury. “Faith is gonna be happy,” Willow said, putting everything back into the backpack. She rose to her feet, dusting off her knees.

A rustling in the bushes behind her caught her attention. She swung her flashlight around …to see two figures in black cloaks. “You know too much.” One of the figures said in a gruff voice. They both began walking toward her.

Willow quickly brought a spell to mind and threw her hand forward. “Impello!” She shouted. A wave of energy hit the pair and threw them both back into the trees. Willow then turned and ran. She could hear the pair of them get to their feet and give chase.

She tried as hard as she could to get to the Jeep. She made it into the graveyard, watching her back trail. The pair were hanging tough behind her. She turned to face forward and slammed into Giles hard enough to knock them both to the ground.

“What are you doing here?” They asked in unison. “Faith said there was an accident.” They both answered, again in unison.

“I’m being chased.” Willow snapped, pointing. The two cloaked figures were a few yards away now.

Giles rolled onto his back and kicked himself to his feet. “Get to your Jeep.” He said. “I’ll take care of this.”

Willow shook her head, gripping her Maglite like a club. “I’m not going to let you fight them alone.”

The pair came on steadily. “Out of the way, old man.” The larger one shouted. He pulled what looked like an asp.

“Old man?” Giles said, slowly taking his glasses off, putting them in his pocket. “Why don’t you come closer and say that, you bloody pillock?”

The cloaked man did just that. He struck with the baton, trying to take Giles across the face. Despite pushing fifty, Rupert Giles was in excellent shape. He’d been training for decades in various forms of physical combat, all with the intention of being a good teacher for his slayer. Thus, the haphazard strike offered little in the way of challenge. He lifted his arm, blocking the attack and struck with a brutal right cross. His opponent was knocked to the grass by the force of the blow. As he fell, Giles snatched the asp out of the air and spun it, cracking the figure across the ribs as he was going down, just to add insult to injury. He was smiling the entire time.

Willow backpedaled a step as the shorter figure came forward. She noticed that he was slightly smaller than she was. The fact did little to remove the fear. He ran toward her, like a wraith in the night. She squeaked as he got closer and stepped to the side, swinging her flashlight as hard as she could. The black aluminum cracked full force into her attacker’s stomach, causing him to stagger and drop to his knees, then roll to the ground. “Oh, god. I taste my spleen.” He said, his voice small.

Willow stopped and stared at the form a moment. She then reached down and threw the hood back. “Jonathan?” She asked in surprise.

Giles heard the shocked tone of Willow’s voice and turned to see the boy laying on the ground. “What the…?” He looked back at the figure he’d engaged…to see him gone. “Warren.” He said, coldly.

He kept his grip on the asp and moved to Jonathan. He reached down and lifted the boy bodily from the ground and slammed him back against a mausoleum wall. He held him there with his left hand, giving Jonathan a nice glimpse of the gold pinky ring that he wore. The hilt of the asp creaked as Giles squeezed it tightly. “Now. You’re going to tell us exactly what happened.”

Willow stepped up and tapped the flashlight into her palm. She was far braver now that she knew what she was dealing with.

Jonathan swallowed and explained everything.

 

“So…I didn’t kill her?” Faith asked, pacing the living room. Dawn, Willow, and Tara sat on the sofa watching her. Giles leaned against the mantle as Spike sat in the easy chair.

“The body had to have been dead for hours before you ever got near her. Whatever you hit, it wasn’t Katrina.” Willow said.

“We believe what you faced was either Warren or Jonathan in disguise, making you think you struck an innocent girl,” Giles said. He gave her a smile. “You’re not to blame for her death.”

Faith sighed and sat on the coffee table. “Thank god.” She looked up. “What did you guys do with Jonathan?”

Willow and Giles both looked sheepish. “He managed to escape as we were taking him to the Jeep.” Giles offered. “He used an obfuscation spell to make good his retreat. No doubt he’ll again find Warren to formulate some sort of retribution.”

“So Warren gets away with murder?” Dawn asked.

Giles sighed. “Sadly, we’ll have to leave it in the police’ hands. She and Warren were romantically involved. They’ll discover that connection. Let’s just hope they can take him into custody before he manages to hurt someone else.”

“I’m not sure what we’re going to do…” Tara said.

Spike shot from his seat and stared at the group. “What is bloody wrong with you?” He said, angrily.

They all turned to regard him. “What are you…?” Faith began.

“It’s bloody war, slayer.” He said, harshly. “But you lot…you don’t see the big picture. These boys are dangerous. Yeah, they’re not me. They’re not bloody Angelus or, or Glory or Adam, but they are dangerous. Look at what they can do.” He pointed to Faith. “They nearly got into your head, pet. They had you thinkin’ you killed someone. The more and more they play their games on you, the closer they get. This time they nearly took you out of the fight. What happens next time?”

None of them had an answer for that. “What are you saying?” Giles asked, stepping closer.

“I’m saying it’s about bloody time you ponces get it through your heads that Warren and Jonathan may not be the most terrifying things out there, but they have your numbers. They know things about all of you that no one you’ve ever faced before knows. Not me, not Adam or Glory. None of them. They can move around during the day. You aren’t safe from these wankers when the sun is up.” He looked to Dawn. “Sorry, little bit. Should learn to watch my mouth.”

She smiled and shrugged.

“So what, we should just hunt them down and kill them?” Faith asked. “Just like that?”

“Yes,” Spike said, his tone ice cold. “What is a demon, love?” He asked. “A creature that thrives on fear and pain. These blokes already killed one girl. How many more are they gonna claim before we get in the game?”

“But you’re talking about murder, Spike,” Giles said, his tone flooded with disapproval. “That’s not how we handle things.”

Spike, this time, didn’t back off. He instead stepped up and got into Giles’ face. “Maybe it’s time you started.”

Giles gripped his jacket and pulled him close. “We’re the heroes, Spike. We’re not killers.” He stared intently into the vampire’s eyes. “We’re not you.”

“You don’t have to bloody remind me of that, Watcher.” Spike returned, smirking.

“No.” Faith said, getting to her feet. “You’re both right.” She said, moving over and separating them. “Spike’s got a point. Warren and Jonathan have pretty much proved that they don’t care about anything but themselves. Someone died and they don’t even care.” She shook her head. “That’s not human. If someone doesn’t put them down, they’re gonna do it again.”

Spike nodded, smiling.

Faith turned to him. “But Tweed’s got a point.” She shook her head. “We don’t kill people if we can help it. Regardless of what they’ve done, Warren and Jonathan are human. We deal out supernatural justice. We don’t assassinate human beings.” She sighed. “No matter how much we may want to.”

“So they just get away with it…” Spike began.

“No.” Faith said. “Why don’t you start looking around? See if they’ve pissed anyone off besides us.”

He grinned. “Might take some time. But I knew a few boys that might be willing to help out.”

Faith grinned. “Good.” She pecked him on the lips. “Thanks for your help tonight.”

He stared at her a moment then nodded. “You’re welcome.” He said, smiling. He left the house and began walking toward his crypt. He was looking forward the next few days.

Faith turned to the rest of the group. “I don’t know about you all, but I’m going to bed. I’ve had a hell of a night.”

Giles gave her a hug and took his leave. Dawn headed up to watch television. Faith, Tara, and Willow adjourned to their room.

Faith couldn’t help but feel that she was letting everyone down. Spike was right. The more Warren tried to do, the closer he seemed to get. Tonight he’d nearly taken Faith off her game. She was afraid of what he’d try next. She just hoped Spike would be able to turn something up. She didn’t want to think about what was in store for them all tomorrow.

 


	51. Chapter 51

 

Spike stepped out of the Summers house and headed for his crypt. He sighed heavily. He had spoken a big game about knowing some people that would be willing to help him, but the truth was since he started killing his own, none of the supernatural underworld was really willing to help. The occasional poker game notwithstanding. He wished, not for the first time, that he didn’t have the chip in his head. If he were himself, he would just do what came naturally and that would be that.

He couldn’t do anything to the little bastards. As much as he wanted to. He leaned against a tree, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He closed his eyes and racked his brain, trying to think of what he could do, who he could call. After making it all the way through the smoke, he decided that he really didn’t have any options at all.

Save one. He pulled his cell phone out and dialed the one phone number that he was hoping he never had to call.

“Angel Investigations, we help the helpless. How can I help you?”

He immediately recognized Cordelia Chase’s voice. “Is Angel there?”

Cordelia’s blood immediately ran cold. “Spike?” She asked, softly.

“Yeah, love. It’s me. I need to speak with Angel. It’s important. I wouldn’t be calling otherwise.” Spike said, lighting another cigarette. “Trust me, Cordy. This is  _not_  a phone call I wanted to make.”

“I can imagine.” She said, getting a bit of nerve back. There were a lot of scathing things she could say at that moment, but from what she’d been hearing from the Sunnydale crew, Spike had been a huge help and was a godsend during the few months before Faith showed up. So she bit back her snappy retorts. “Alright. Hold on a second, I’ll get him.” She put the phone on hold and walked into the office where Angel sat, feeding Connor. “You’ll never believe who’s on the phone for you.”

“Spike?” Angel asked. He pointed to his ear and then the door. “Vampire, remember?”

“He wants to talk to you.” She moved closer and took the baby from his arms. “Oh, somebody’s hungry.” She said, putting the bottle in the boy’s mouth.

Angel sat at the desk and lifted the receiver. He turned to Cordy. “Did he say what he wanted?”

“Nope. Just that it was important.”

“If Spike’s calling me, it has to be,” Angel said, looking at the phone. “How do I get the line I want, again?” The new phone system still had him a little baffled.

“Push the blinking button,” Cordy said. “It’s not that hard, Angel. And put it on speaker. I wanna hear this.”

“Look, I’m still getting used to the idea of the internet, alright?” He said, tapping the buttons. He set the receiver down. “Things must be pretty bad if you’re calling me.”

“Trust me. Not a call I was looking forward to, mate.” Spike said. “We’ve got a problem that, for once a slayer can’t solve.”

Angel furrowed his brow. “Like what?”

“A human problem,” Spike said. “We got a couple of blokes up here that are givin’ the gang a hard time.”

“Warren?” Angel asked. “Everyone filled us in when they came down for Christmas. What’s happening now?”

“Seems Warren killed a bint and tried pinning it on Faith,” Spike said. “Made her think she killed the girl.”

Angel got so angry, he went game face. Cordy looked at him and sighed, tapping her forehead and pointing to him. His face reverted quickly. “Sorry.” He mouthed. She smiled and shook her head. She understood. Faith was special to Angel. They had a rather deep bond that no one else seemed to share with the vampire. That someone would screw with the slayer on  _that_  level…well frankly, it pissed her off, too. She and Faith were never friends, at least not until recently, but fucking with someone like Faith in that fashion was cruel beyond measure. Oddly, it sounded like something Angelus would do…and anything that reminded Angel of his old persona was rage-inducing to the vampire. “Is she alright?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. She got thrown for a bit of a loop and broke down a smidge, but she pulled herself together and handled it right. Called Giles and told him what went down. She also gave Willow and Tara the story. Wills went right the body and checked it out. Learned that she’d died hours before me and Faith came upon her.”

“Good,” Angel said, proudly. “So what did you need from me?”

“The Police aren’t gonna do anything about it. You know the Bobbies in this town. Right bunch of gits. Probably rule it a suicide or something just to save themselves the paperwork. But Warren is starting to get dangerous. We need someone that’s willing to go further than anyone up here is willing to go. Someone who isn’t afraid of getting close to the darkness without crossing the line.”

“You want me to send you someone that’s willing to kill Warren for you?” Angel asked, angrily. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, it wasn’t that he wouldn’t. It was that he couldn’t. For all the violence and mayhem he and his companions caused…they were still the good guys. And good guys didn’t kill. Not if they could help it. Well…most of them didn’t.

“Well, yeah I would like that, actually but I know better. Your bleedin’ heart wouldn’t go in for that kind of thing. Century or so ago, you and me would be takin’ this joker apart piece by piece, but things change.”

“Yes, they do,” Angel said, sternly.

“I’m not lookin’ for a hit man. I’m lookin’ for a good hard trouble shooter. Since I started fightin’ the good fight up here, none of my old contacts are talkin’ to me. Say I’ve thrown in with the slayer.” He drew a puff of his smoke. “Can’t rightly argue, now can I?”

“No one said doin’ good was easy,” Angel said, smiling. Cordy stifled a giggle.

“Anyway…got anyone that could do that? Someone, who ain’t afraid of gettin’ their hands dirty?”

Angel thought a moment. He looked at his desk and grinned when he saw a phone number. “I think I got just the person.”

“Anyone, I know?” Spike asked.

“Probably not. But don’t worry. She’s uh, she’s a good kid. A lot like you, actually.”

“Can’t wait to meet her.”

“She should be in town tomorrow night.”

“I’ll be waiting,” Spike said, ending the call.

“Who are you calling?” Cordy asked.

“You’ll see,” Angel said, dialing the number.

“Hello?” A sharp voice answered.

Cordy blanched. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“It’s Angel.” He said, smiling. “You feel like taking a trip to Sunnydale tomorrow?” He asked.

“I’ve always wanted to visit there.” The girl said a smile in her voice.

 

Jonathan wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. He stuffed various things roughly into a box.

Warren watched him angrily. “I can’t believe you’re doing this.” He said. “We got away with it. We’re in the clear.”

Jonathan stopped and stared at him. “You don’t get it, Warren. We _murdered someone_. Before we were villains and it was all fun and games. But now…now we’re monsters. In case you haven’t noticed, this is  _Faith_  we’re talking about. Willow figured it out. You don’t think she’s gonna tell Faith that we set her up? Do you have any idea what she’s gonna do to us?”

“We can handle Faith.” Warren offered. “Look at what we’ve done. All that we’ve accomplished.”

“I don’t care, Warren!” Jonathan shouted. “I want out. We broke the law, but that was fine. I don’t care about that. But I am not a killer.” He stared at the boy. “Not like you.”

“What are you gonna do without me, huh?” Warren said. “Where are you gonna go?”

“Away,” Jonathan said, going back to packing his stuff from the van. “Away from you.” He turned to the boy. “You just have no idea. It’s totally lost on you. Andrew was right. I guess …I just never saw it. But he’s right. At the end of the day, we’re not even in the slayer’s league.”

“What do you call last night?” Warren asked. “It was a success. Faith was losing it.”

The shorter boy shook his head. “Yeah, we had her shaken for a whole what, five or six minutes?” Jonathan said. “Then she made one phone call and her genius girlfriend and Watcher showed up. Willow figured out what happened to Katrina in less than five minutes. We couldn’t even get past Giles and get to her. That’s what you’re not getting. It isn’t just us versus the slayer, Warren. If it were, we’d still all be together.”

“Andrew was weak. He couldn’t handle it.” Warren said. “We’re supervillains, Jonathan. How many times has Batman beat the crap out of The Joker and The Riddler? But they keep coming after him. It’s the same thing with us. We knew we were gonna have to take our lumps, but…”

“You don’t get it,” Jonathan said. “You’re too wrapped up in the idea of being a bad guy that you aren’t seeing what’s right in front of your face. We’ve gotten lucky, Warren. But our luck is gonna run out. If we keep pushing, eventually they’re gonna push back.”

“We haven’t been lucky, Jonathan,” Warren said, leaning forward in the chair. “We’ve been prepared. Every time the slayer and her friends have come after us, we’ve been ready for them. And we’ve beaten them.”

“That’s because they haven’t been serious, Warren. They haven’t seen us as a legitimate threat.” He shook his head, chuckling. “Open your eyes, man. Only one person in this group took us seriously and what happened? She broke into our lair and laid us all out. She scared Andrew so badly he threw us out. Now that we killed someone and got away with it, they  _all_  see us as a threat. Faith, Giles, Willow…they all see us a threat, now.” He leaned against the wall. “Christ,  _Spike_?” He rubbed his face in his hands. “He’s gonna be looking for us.”

“He’s harmless. With his chip, he can’t hurt people.” Warren said. “Of all of them, he’s the most useless.”

Jonathan looked at him. “Are you stupid? He’s a hundred and twenty-year-old vampire, Warren. He could just as easily have someone else hunt us down and kill us. He doesn’t have to do it himself.”

“He’s just a vampire. We can dust him easily.” Warren said.

“God, Warren,” Jonathan said, throwing his hands up. “Just… _god_!” He groaned and again ground his face in his hands. “I’m gonna try to explain this so you can understand. The only thing that’s been saving us is that we’re human. We’re not demons or vampires. That’s the only reason that they haven’t just decided to just kill us. Right now we may be Batman villains, but pretty soon, this whole scenario is gonna be a lot less Batman and a lot more Punisher.” He stared at the boy. “Do you understand what that means? The Punisher kills people, Warren. Batman doesn’t.”

“They’d never go that far,” Warren said. “That’s the thing about heroes. They don’t kill.”

“Obviously you’ve never read a Punisher comic,” Jonathan said. “I’m not doing this anymore. I should have left with Andrew.”

“I still need you, man,” Warren said, trying to plead with the boy. “I can…we can take a bit of time away. Leave Sunnydale for a few weeks. Let the heat die down.”

“I strongly suggest you do that anyway,” Jonathan said. “But I’m not gonna be around you. You’re living on borrowed time and when this group comes down on you, I’m not gonna be there to catch that kind of hell.” He lifted the box and moved to the back of the van.

Warren stood and moved into his path. “You do this and I’ll tell the slayer all about your part in all of this.”

Jonathan stared up at him. “They already know, Warren.” He said, pushing the boy aside. “Willow and Giles cornered me in the cemetery when you abandoned me to save your own hide. I told them everything. But don’t worry. I’m not going to the cops with what I know. I’m not gonna rat you out. I was there, I would be just as culpable.” He threw open the back of the van and walked away.

Warren dropped out of the van and watched Jonathan move down the street. He was left standing all alone. His eyes narrowed. “Oh, it’s on, now.” He said, angrily. “You’re gonna be so sorry, it isn’t even funny.”

“Warren?” A girl asked from beside the van.

He turned to regard her. She was nearly his own height with long red hair, bright green eyes, and a pretty face. She was currently dressed in a pair of jeans and a black leather jacket over a black t-shirt. “What?” He snapped. “I don’t know you.”

If the woman was bothered by his tone she didn’t show it. “We have a mutual friend.” She said as she walked up to him.

“Who the hell are you?” He asked her.

“Name’s Justine.” She said, getting very close. “I’m a friend of Faith’s.” She said, before drilling him in the gut so hard he dropped to his knees and vomited. She gripped his hair and pulled him back up to his feet. “You and me got a lot to talk about.” She punched him again, holding him aloft with one hand. “Seems you been making her life a living hell.” She hit him again. “Even killed some bitch and tried blaming Faith for it.” Another shot to the gut. “That don’t sit well with me.” She punched him across the jaw, sending him spiraling to the concrete. “So here’s what we’re gonna do.” She said, tearing a strip of his shirt off. “You’re gonna leave Sunnydale. Tonight. And you’re never gonna come back. Every time I see you on the street… and trust me, dick-splash I  _will_ be looking, you’re gonna get this and worse.” She flipped open the gas flap and twisted the gas cap off of the van. “This is just a little, you know, incentive to move the fuck on.” She stuffed the rag into the spout and lit it. “Nice talkin’ to you.” She said, smiling. She turned and walked away.

Warren, pain wracking his body, dragged himself to his feet and staggered way, ducking behind a car.

Justine didn’t turn back as she heard the ‘whoomp’ of the van bursting into flames. It wasn’t like it was in the movies. There was no apocalyptic explosion. It was just the fumes and the gasoline catching fire. But it was enough to engulf the entire vehicle. She stopped, lit a cigarette and stood, taking a puff. She looked back to see the van as nothing more than a giant red ball of fire. She chuckled and moved on. She got back to the car Angel had bought her when she got out of rehab. It was only a twenty-eight-day in-patient, but it did help her out. And being handed the keys to a fully restored limited edition ragtop 1970 Chevelle SS454 with cowl induction hood was one  _hell_  of an incentive. She’d asked Angel how he managed to find one. “I know a guy.” Was all he said.

She climbed behind the wheel of the gloss black rig and fired it up. The rumble never ceased to make her smile. “This is gonna be fun.” She said, taking off in a hail of screeching rubber and tire smoke.

Warren just sat, staring at his burning van. Everything he’d accomplished, everything he’d hope to achieve…gone. Up in smoke.

He heard the sirens and slowly climbed to his feet. He was gone by the time the fire engines arrived.

Justine pulled up to the cemetery, raised the top on her car and locked it up. She made her way into the graveyard. She pulled the business card out and looked the back. She began searching for the name of the crypt that the vampire she was supposed to meet belonged to. She came around a stand of trees and saw it, sitting alone in the darkness. She finished her cigarette and dropped it, grinding it into the ground. She pounded on the thick wood and iron door. A moment later, it flew open to reveal a pale blonde man with a chiseled upper body and arms. She stared him up and down. She had to admit, he was definitely cut.

“You lost, bint?” He asked.

“Spike?” She asked, offering a smirk.

“Do I know you?”

“I’m Justine Cooper. Angel sent me.” She said.

His eyes trailed up and down her form. “So you’re the girl, huh? Funny, he never mentioned you.”

“He likes to keep me in reserve.” She said, stepping up, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him back as she walked into the crypt. She kicked the door closed behind her. “Apparently, I’m still… _unpredictable_.”

He turned and moved over, grabbing a pack of cigarettes. “Bloody hell.” He said, crushing the empty pack.

“Here.” She said, pulling out her pack and flipping one out.

Spike took it and nodded. “Thanks.” He said, lighting it and hopping up onto the sarcophagus. “So what did Angel tell you?”

“That some punk ass was hassling you guys and he needed someone to set him straight that wasn’t afraid of him spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair,” Justine said, moving around the room, looking at this and that. “You got a pretty good set up here.”

“It’s alright,” Spike said. “So do you think you can help?”

“I got a damn good start tonight.” She said, grabbing a chair, spinning it around and straddling the back. “Met Warren downtown. Had a chat with him about leaving Sunnydale. Once the bones heal and the internal bleeding stops, he’s probably gonna get the hint, unless he’s a fuckin’ idiot.”

“He  _was_  trying to make an enemy of the slayer.” Spike offered.

“True.” She said smiling. “If he does decide to stick around, he’s gonna play hell doing it, though.” She took a drag. “I blew up the Turtle van.”

Spike raised an eyebrow. “Did you just make a Ninja Turtle reference?” He asked.

She shrugged. “I’m a fan, what can I say?” She stood and pulled her leather jacket off. She moved over and flipped on his stereo. She lifted his stack of CDs.

He watched her curiously. “What are you doing?” He asked her.

“You actually own The Sex Pistols?” She asked him. “Jesus.” She said, shaking her head. She stopped as she saw  _Midnight Dynamite_  by Kix. “Really?” She asked. She opened it and popped in into the CD player. She started the song and began dancing.

Spike cocked his head and watched her. He had to admit, she was incredibly attractive. He could tell that life had been hard for her. She had scars on her arms and shoulders. He couldn’t help but grin as she danced to the eighties metal.

She made her way closer. She gave him a very, very avarice smile. “Word has it vampires are the best there is between the sheets.” She said, simply. “Never really let one get close enough to find out.”

“Haven’t had any complaints,” Spike said to the girl. “Can I trust you to not stake me in the morning?”

“Why? Don’t I look trustworthy?” She asked, draping her arms on his shoulders.

“Bint? You look like you’d ride a bloke into the mattress and cut his balls off after you were done with him.” Spike offered honestly.

“That turn you off?” She asked him, grinning from ear to ear.

“That’s my kinda woman.” He said, snaking his arms around her waist. “But seriously though. You’re not gonna stake me after, are you?”

“Angel says you’re one of the good guys. Not entirely by choice, but still.” She kissed him intently. “And I’m all about pulling for the good guys now.”

He smiled. “Glad to hear it.” He said, happily. “Don’t you think a bed would be more comfortable?”

“Probably.” She said, pulling him off the stone coffin, taking his place. “But nowhere near as much fun.”

“Right forward one, aren’t you?” He asked as she began unbuckling his jeans.

“Saves time.” She said, her voice heavy.

“Fair enough, love.” He said, leaning toward her.

 


	52. Chapter 52

 

Faith stood face to face with the demon, spinning her Bowies in her hands. “You’re good.” She said, breathing a bit heavy.

The large beast growled and came in with the enchanted sword, looking to run her through. Faith stepped in, crossing her knives in front of her, catching the sword and pushing it downward into the dirt. As it sank into the grass, she turned, putting a high side kick to the monster’s head, staggering him back and causing him to lose the grip on his weapon. Faith shot forward with her knife, thrusting it toward his abdomen.

He caught her wrist and pulled her forward, backhanding her across the face. He then gripped her other arm head-butting her…nearly knocking himself out in the process. Faith dropped both of her Bowies as she was momentarily dazed.

The pair took a moment to shake the cobwebs loose. Faith recovered first and snatched the demons’ own blade from the dirt and spun, ramming it through his gut. A sudden flash of brilliant blue light erupted from the demon, blasting her backward. She hit hard on the grass and rolled with it.

She got to her feet and dusted off her knees. “That sucked.” She looked around, not seeing the demon anywhere. She saw the sword sticking into the ground. “Nice.” She said, lifting it and gave it a practice swing. “Good balance.” She said smiling. She picked her knives up and slid them back into the sheaths on her back.

She trotted to her roadrunner and stopped when she saw a woman leaning against it. Most people would be pissed to see someone leaning against a classic muscle car, but Faith wasn’t one of those people. Given that she’d spent all of about twenty bucks on a host of primer black rattle cans, she wasn’t sweating the pain job. But the fact that whoever it was, was obviously waiting for her, had her on edge. She stopped and moved slowly closer. She reached out with her senses to see if the girl was a vampire. The redhead lit a cigarette and lifted her head.

It was only then that Faith recognized her. “Justine?”

The girl smiled. “How you doin’ Faith?” She said. “Nice piece.” She indicated the sword.

Faith looked down at it. “Oh. Yeah. Spoils of war. Some demon dropped it.”

Justine “Right on. You got some time to talk?”

“Sure.” Faith said as she popped the trunk of the car. Justine moved over and took a look inside. There was a really nice compound bow strapped to the deck lid, along with a quiver full of bamboo shaft arrows. This actually made sense considering it was incredibly strong wood for how light it was. There was a milk crate filled with stakes, a large two sided battle axe, an assault vest with varying pockets and a host of other items, perfect for vampire slaying. Faith fumbled around in the gear until she found a couple of spare sword scabbards. She found one that fit the sword somewhat and tossed it in. She pulled her knife belt off and set into its own bag, before zipping it up.

“You take this shit seriously, don’t you?” Justine asked.

“Beats the alternative.” Faith said, dropping the boot lid. “Come on. I’ll buy you a coffee. The pair ended up at the all night diner. Faith didn’t mind the place. The food was okay, the staff was friendly enough and the music didn’t suck total donkey balls. “So how long have you been in town?”

“Bout a week,” Justine said. “Spike called Angel for help with your geekazoid problem.”

Faith furrowed her brow. “With Warren?” Before Jonathan skipped town, he dropped by the Magic Box to tell Giles that he wasn’t a part of Warren’s plans anymore. He didn’t wanna be around when things got too hot. After a sound warning to never come back, he was gone. That was five days ago. He revealed he was meeting up with Andrew somewhere in Arizona, near the Mexico border. Faith didn’t remember where and didn’t really care to. “We really don’t need help with…”

“Yeah, you do,” Justine said. “You do because he’s human. He’s also a piece of shit killer with delusions of grandeur, but he’s human. Sadly, that puts him outside slayer jurisdiction, so to speak. Angel gave a hell of a rundown on you. Some of the shit you did.” She shook her head. “That makes you wholly unqualified to deal with this cock stacker. The fact that you killed people makes you afraid to really go full force on him.”

Faith wanted to argue with her, but she was right. Ever since getting out of prison, she was doing everything in her power not to go back. She wanted nothing more than to twist Warren’s head off like a bottle cap, but she would never be able to bring herself to do it. And that fact pissed her off.

“Your friends are in the same boat. The only one of you that might not be completely whipped about bringing the hardcore is Giles. Angel told me about him, too. Old man in his early years was a hellion and a half. Blackpool badass type. That and four years ago, he broke into Angel’s inner sanctum when he lost his soul and beat the shit out of him with a flaming baseball bat.”

Faith was shocked by that. “Really? Tweed and Angel never told me that.”

“Angel wanted me to be prepared when I got here. Gave me the skinny on all of you. Willow and Tara are witches and your girlfriends. Xander’s a normal, but not to be underestimated. He’s tough as nails and has the luck of the Irish. Anya is an ex-demon of some sort that used to punish men for pissing off women. Then there’s Spike. He wants to skin Warren slowly and leave him for the rats, but with the chip in his head, he can’t. You also got a robot that looks like the previous slayer…that’s just fuckin’ weird. Never even knew that was possible. But I got the read on all of them. None of you, not one have what it takes to teach this ass-hat the lesson he richly needs to learn. I’m told he had a couple of buddies but they’ve since shagged ass. Smart kids.”

“Alright.” Faith said. “What you said is true. We aren’t willing to go that far, but…why would Angel send you?”

“Because I’m not afraid of burying the fucker,” Justine said. “I’ll throw his ass under a train just watch how far his head’ll fly.”

Faith furrowed her eyebrow. “I’m not gonna let you kill him, Justine.”

“Didn’t figure you would. And I really didn’t have any intention to.” She took a sip of her coffee and grinned a mile wide. “But he don’t know that.”

“You met him?” Faith asked.

“Yep. First night I got into town. He was beside an old Dodge Conversion Van. I beat the hell out of him and burned his van to the ground. I saw him yesterday and whooped his ass again. Told him I was gonna kick the snot out of him every time I see him.”

“Why didn’t you come to us sooner to let us know you were here?” Faith asked.

“Didn’t wanna check in until I got the situation on the ground. Learned that your town has a lot of graveyards. Lot of boarded up churches, too.”

“Yeah. Makes for a great night life.” Faith said. “So…you got a place to stay?”

“I’m shackin’ up with Spike.” She said, smiling. “He’s a real good host.”

Faith snickered. “Yeah, I just bet he is.”

“Have you and he ever…?”

“Yeah. Once. He helped us out when I first got back a few months ago. A bunch of demon bikers were raisin’ hell. We put a stop to it. He and I did the diddy after that. He kinda earned it.”

“He gets it done,” Justine said. “Just wanted to let you know, I’m here to solve the problem with Warren. He’s a human issue. I’m not here to play slayer. That’s your job. I’ll do my best to keep das uber-nerd occupied so you can do your thing.”

“That’s fair. Like I said I don’t want you to kill him, but short of that…”

“Hey, the son of a bitch pulls a gun on me or something, all bets are off,” Justine said. “But I see where you’re coming from. Oh, that reminds me.” She pulled a small wrapped box out of her pocket. “Angel wanted me to give you this.”

“What is it?” Faith asked.

“Something for your robot. He said you guys decided to celebrate her birthday on the same day as Dawn’s sister. It’s her birthday present.”

Faith nodded. “Cool. You have my cell number?”

“Angel gave me your number, the number to your house and the number to the Magic Box.”

“Fair enough.” Faith said. “I gotta get home. Thanks for coming up and helping us out.”

“Not a problem. Do me a favor, though. Don’t tell anyone I’m here. I kinda wanna work in anonymity. Better for everyone. Gives everyone plausible deniability in case I go too far.”

The request was a bit of a double-edged sword for Faith. One the one hand, the girl admitted that she might end up killing him. That didn’t sit well with Faith at all. But on the other hand, the girl at least knew it was a possibility and at the very least was taking precautions to keep the Sunnydale crew clean of any backlash. That, she did appreciate. “Alright. But do what you can to not smear him all over the concrete.”

“I’ll do my best.” She stood and slugged down the rest of her coffee. “I’ll see you around, Faith.” She turned and left the restaurant, leaving Faith to stare after her.

She shook her head and stood, tossing a ten down onto the table and taking her leave. By the time she got outside and looked up and down the lane, Justine was gone. “How the hell do people do that?” She asked the night sky before climbing into her car taking off toward home.

Tara was, like always, dutifully standing at the stove, cooking when Faith walked in. She turned to Faith. “Making bacon for BLT’s.” She said, happily.

Faith moved over and wrapped her arms around the girl from behind. “Much rather have an FTW.” She said, kissing the girl’s neck.

Tara let out a soft giggle. “What’s an FTW?”

“A Faith, Tara, and Willow.” Faith said. “My favorite kind of sandwich.”

“You’re bad,” Tara said, playfully.

“And you love me for it.” Faith said, kissing her again before moving to the fridge to grab a can of soda. “Where’s Red?”

“Last minute gift shopping with Dawn,” Tara said.

Faith furrowed her brow and looked at her watch. “At nine at night?”

“Twenty-four hour Wal-Mart,” Tara said. “That and Willow promised to let Dawn get a laptop if she got an A on her History test.”

“Oh, that one she was really struggling with?” Faith asked. As Tara nodded, the slayer smiled. “She aced it? Nice. Go little D.” Faith finished her soda and tossed the can into the recycle bin. “I’m gonna grab a shower.”

“Should be done by the time you get out.”

“Cool.” Faith said, sneaking in for another kiss before heading upstairs. She stripped off her body armor and strapped it onto the mannequin in the corner of the room. She pulled off her clothes and jumped through the shower, cleaning off the evening’s sweat and grime. She put on a pair of shorts and a tank top before going back down the stairs.

Willow and Dawn were sitting in the living room with a few bags scattered about. She moved over and picked Willow up off the couch, planting a searing hot kiss on her lips. Willow was momentarily startled but quickly melted into the embrace, closing her eyes and giving a slight moan. Finally, the pair parted. “Love you.” Faith said, softly to the redhead.

“Love you, too,” Willow said, breathlessly.

“Hey D. Congrats on the History test.” Faith said, letting Willow sit back down. “I knew that was givin’ you a hell of a time.”

The girl smiled brightly and held up the box with the laptop in it. “Willow helped me pick out a really good one, too.”

Faith wasn’t exactly a computer aficionado, but she knew a good system when she saw one. She took the box and looked at it. “Holy shit. One terabyte hard drive, twenty-four gigs of ram…” She looked at Dawn. “What are you looking to do with this, hack NORAD?”

“Oh, you don’t need a computer that powerful for that. I could have done that on my old MacBook.” Willow said. “That’s for video editing and gaming.”

“And directing interstellar commerce.” Faith said. “What did you have to drop for this?” She asked, setting the box back down.

“About twenty-three hundred bucks,” Dawn said. “But it’s totally worth it.”

“Two grand for a fuckin’ laptop?” Faith asked. “Jesus Christ.”

“Um, Faith?” Willow looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “My laptop cost three times that.”

“Yeah, but yours is like, hacker built. You got pushbutton government hacking capabilities. You break through hard encryption like checking your email.” Faith said. “And the chances are good you built your system from scratch.”

Willow nodded. “True.”

“So…do I have to give it back?” Dawn asked, suddenly saddened.

“What? Hell no.” Faith said. “You wanted it. Besides that, you bought it with your own money. Be kinda screwed up if we said you couldn’t get what you wanted. But I am saying this right now. You are not, repeat are not taking that thing to school with you.” Willow bit her lip and looked down as Dawn grinned widely. “Yeah, not diggin’ on this…” Faith said, motioning to the pair.

Dawn reached into the bag and pulled out a smaller plain brown box. “That’s what I got this for.” She said, pulling out the smaller less expensive laptop. “It’s a refurbished system that I picked up for school. Only cost about a hundred and twenty bucks. It’s only two gigs and a two hundred and fifty gig hard drive, but it’ll do what I need it to do. And I don’t have to worry about it getting all messed up.”

Faith nodded. “That’s better. So what did you pick up for double B?”

Dawn smiled and reached over, pulling out a really nice silver box. “I haven’t wrapped it yet.” She opened and pulled out a really stylish black leather jacket. “I know she said she liked it when we went to the mall last. I decided to get it for her. It was kind of expensive, but it was worth it.”

Faith took it and looked it over. “This is really nice. I think she’s gonna love it.” She handed it back to her. “What about you, Red?”

Willow sighed. “I haven’t gotten her anything yet.”

“Her birthday’s tomorrow, Red.” Faith said, trying really hard to hide a smile.

“I know, but…what do you buy a robot?” Willow asked. “Dawn knew she wanted the jacket, but…I don’t…I’m stumped.”

Faith moved over to the closet and pulled down a pair of large square boxes. “Well, then aren’t you glad I’m not just another pretty face?” She set the boxes down. She then set another box beside them. “This goes with the gift that the rest of the house bought her. It’s in the garage.” Faith grinned widely. “Wanna come see it?”

Willow furrowed her brow. “What did you get her?”

“You’ll see.” Faith said, motioning the pair to follow. Dawn had already seen it and thought it was a wonderful present. They made their way out into the garage. Faith pulled the tarp off of a really good looking motorcycle.

Willow was in awe. It was a very beautiful silver and looked incredibly comfortable. “What is it?”

“2009 Honda Goldwing GL1800.” Faith said. “One hundred and eighteen horses, hundred and twenty-three foot-pounds of torque. Pretty gnarly for a bike. That and the Goldwing is a bit more forgiving than a Harley. Runs smoother, gets better mileage. It’s a nice rig all around.” She tapped the cases on the back end. “Plenty of cargo room.”

Willow had to admit it looked really pretty. “How much was it?”

“Chick originally wanted eight grand for it. I talked her down to fifty-eight hundred.” Faith said. “Only thing is, I showed her who it was for and she said she wants a picture of her on it wearing a really tiny bikini. I told her it wouldn’t be a problem.”

Willow laughed. “You bought it from a biker, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. She flips bikes. Said she picked this one up for thirty-five and did a couple thousand dollars worth of work. She made about three hundred bucks off me. Only reason she let it go for so little was she’s been sitting on it for over a year and hadn’t had any bites. Normally she does Harleys, Indians, and Triumphs. She couldn’t pass this up for what it was. I was the first buyer she had.”

“She local?” Willow asked.

Faith tossed the tarp back over it. “No. She’s down in Oxnard. I said I wanted to get double B her own wheels and Tara suggested a motorcycle.” Faith patted Dawn on the shoulder. “Little D here found her ad on craigslist and brought it to my attention. Went and picked it up yesterday.”

“So how much do I owe for my share?” Willow asked.

“Don’t worry about it.” Faith said. “You can pay in trade tonight.”

Willow blushed and buried her face in her hands. “Jesus, Faith.”

Dawn laughed. “God, she’s cute when she blushes.”

“She is, isn’t she?” Faith said, smiling.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Dawn said. “Can I invite someone to the party tomorrow?”

“Sure.” Faith said as Willow nodded. “Janice?” Faith asked.

Dawn sighed. “No.” She looked down sadly. “Me and Janice had a falling out.”

“What happened?” Faith asked as they made their way into the house.

“You didn’t tell us you and Janice had a fight,” Willow said. She was genuinely concerned. For years, Janice and Dawn had been best friends. “Did something happen to her?”

“No. She wanted me to skip school with her a couple days ago. Apparently, she’d taken some money from her mom’s purse and was going to meet up with a couple of boys at the Bronze. I didn’t wanna go. Her mom noticed the money missing and called the school looking for her, but Janice wasn’t there. So she called me. I didn’t lie for Janice and told her mom the truth.”

“Her mom told Janice you ratted her out?” Faith asked. Tara was in the midst of dishing up the food when they came in.

“No. Her mom was actually really cool about it. She didn’t say anything about me talking to her, but that didn’t stop Janice from blaming me. She said she was grounded for the rest of the month. Now she has to have her teachers sign a slip of paper that her mom gives her every day to make sure she goes. If she misses a signature, she gets grounded for a weekend. If she misses five, she gets grounded for the summer.”

“That’s actually pretty smart.” Faith said. “Do we have to do that for you?”

“Look at my grades and ask me that,” Dawn said. “I’m getting A’s in all my classes except History. I’m scraping by with a B in that one. Janice said she never wanted to see me again.”

“I’m sorry, kiddo.” Faith said. She gave Dawn a hug. “Losing a friend like that is tough.”

“I’m not worried about it,” Dawn said. “Janice was always screwing off when she shouldn’t have been. She was kind of a bad influence. The girl I wanna invite is the one that helped me out when I got jumped by those four harpies last time I got suspended.”

“Heck yeah. Invite her.” Faith said.

“We’d love to meet any of your friends, Dawn,” Tara said. “If you’d like, I can go out tomorrow and pick something up so she can have a gift for the party.”

“That would be cool,” Dawn said, smiling. “I’m sure she’d appreciate it.” She looked at her watch. “I’m gonna go upstairs and play with my new toy for a while before sleep.”

“Alright,” Tara said. She pecked Dawn on top of the head. “See you in the morning.”

“No hacking top-secret government databases.” Faith said.

“I don’t even know any,” Dawn said. “The closest I get to hacking is sifting for free Sims downloads.” She trotted out of the kitchen, grabbed her laptops and thundered up the stairs.

“Kid’s doin’ really well.” Faith said. “Hope tomorrow isn’t gonna be too hard on her.”

Tara and Willow both shook their heads. “I don’t think it’ll be too bad,” Willow said. “I talked a little about it with her when we were out tonight. She said that she’s kinda made peace with it. She knows Buffy is still watching over her. That makes it easier.”

Faith nodded. “It really does.”

 

Justine lay with her head resting on Spike’s shoulder. “I talked to Faith tonight. Told her I was in town and what I was here to do.” She was drawing lazy circles on his pec.

“How’d that turn out?” He asked her. He was absently twirling his finger in her thick red hair.

“Well, we didn’t throw down, if that’s what you’re asking. I mean, I can hold my own, but even I’m not that stupid. No, I just told her why, out of everyone, it had to be me. Unlike everyone else, except maybe you, I don’t care what I do to him. If I end up killin’ him, I don’t really care. To me, another dead asshole tonight is a brighter sunrise tomorrow.”

Spike laughed. “That should be a t-shirt.” He looked down at her. “We’ve gotten fairly close over the week, haven’t we?”

“You’re not gonna tell me you love me, are you?” She asked, looking into his eyes.

“Not right at this moment, no.” He said. “Not gonna lie, love. I can see a lot of me in you.” She giggled at him. “That’s not…you’re a dirty little girl, you know that?”

“You weren’t complaining a few minutes ago.” She said, tapping his stomach.

Spike snickered. “Fair enough. I’m just curious why you got into this life. Fightin’ vampires like me.”

She stared at him. For a brief moment, she let her guard down. She caressed his cheek with her thumb. “There are no vampires like you, Spike.” She then lay back down. “My sister, Julia was killed by a vampire. The cops ruled it a mugging and never even tried to find who did it.” She was quiet a moment. “I knew. As soon as they had me identify the body, I knew. The coroner tried telling me that the wounds on her neck were made with an ice-pick.” She chuckled. “He must have thought I was dumb as a sack of hammers. He attributed the blood loss to the wounds.”

“Ice-pick would have gone in deeper than fangs,” Spike said.

“Yeah, I know. Wounds were only, like, an inch and a half deep, tops. And they were too big around to be an ice-pick.” She sighed. “Cops are so fuckin’ stupid.”

“Can’t rightly just blurt out that vampires are real,” Spike said. “People would go nutters then.”

“True,” Justine said. “I may think they’re dumb as bricks, but I can’t fault them for keeping it quiet. That’s why I do this. I initially wanted to find out who killed my sister. But when I was in rehab, Angel did the legwork. Turns out he actually already killed the vamp that did it.”

“So why still do it?” Spike asked. “I mean, I know you didn’t get to dust the bloke yourself, but if he’s dead, kinda takes your reasons, don’t it?”

She shrugged. “I thought it would, but…I’m still angry. I still wanna punish most vamps for it.”

“You gonna start patrollin’ for vamps while you’re here?” He asked. “I know you haven’t yet, but…”

“No. That’s Faith’s job. I’m here for Warren. Once he’s dealt with, I’m back to Los Angeles.”

“Gonna be sad to see you go,” Spike said. “Kinda like ya.”

“What’s keepin’ you here?” Justine asked.

He sighed and lay back down. “A promise.” He said, simply.

 


	53. Chapter 53

Dawn sat in her first-period class idly doing her work. She was looking forward to this afternoon. Buffybot’s birthday party was going to be a blast. She could hardly wait.

She barely registered the teacher’s phone ringing on her desk. A moment later the woman approached her. “Dawn?” The teen looked up at her. “They need to see you in the guidance office.”

Dawn furrowed her brow. “What for?”

The teacher shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you.”

Dawn nodded and gathered up her things and left the room. She walked to the guidance office and to the counselor’s door. She knocked lightly. “You wanted to see me?”

The guidance counselor looked up and smiled brightly at her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” She motioned to the chair in front of her desk. She was clad in a navy blue sleeveless blouse with a dark stone pendant around her neck. Dawn took the seat and leaned back in her chair. “This is just a follow-up after your…your recent loss. And since I’m new here, I thought it would give us a chance to know each other.”

Dawn shrugged and nodded. “Okay.”

The woman looked down at some paperwork. “So I’ve been looking through your file and…for a while it looked like your grades were slipping. But this year you’ve seemed to make quite a comeback.” She looked at Dawn. The woman seemed kind of confused.

“My sister and…and her friends are really helping me out. They’re all very supportive. They make sure I get my homework done and get projects in on time.”

“Still.” The counselor said. “Teachers say that you seem a little distracted lately.”

Dawn shook her head. “I’m not. I’m fine.”

She seemed to take the statement at face value. “Okay. It’s just, you know, I know it must seem weird…” She gave a small chuckle. “Talking to a stranger about stuff, but, um…I want you to know that if something’s going on, something’s up, my job…the most important part of my job…is looking out for you.”

Dawn gave her a sweet smile. She already liked the woman. She was very reassuring and seemed to genuinely care about her role in the school. “I really do appreciate that Ms…”

“Oh, just call me Halley.” The woman said. “I’m not that traditional.”

“Thank you Halley, but I’m really okay. Yeah, I still get bummed because I miss my mom, but…” She shrugged. “It’s fine. My sister is really nice and supportive. She’s always there for me. And if she can’t be Faith, Tara and Willow are. I mean, Buffy helped me get my job.” Dawn smiled and pulled her wallet out, taking out a handful of cash. “I have money now that I earned myself.” She held up her keys. “And I have a car…it’s a little blue Volkswagen and it’s like, super cute. And I have a cell phone.” She showed her the nice mobile. “It’s all things that I work to pay for. I’m even putting money away in a savings account. I’m doing fine. Like I said, I’m still a little bummed out about my mom, but…but I’ve got people that care about me and let me vent to them about my day, hold me when I’m crying and tell me that everything’s okay.” She put her stuff away. “I have a good life, Halley. Compared to what a lot of other kids have… I’ve got it okay.”

“I know there’s been…a lot of loss.” The woman said.

Dawn looked at her, suddenly getting a tad bitter. “Yeah, my mom died. I’m dealing with it, okay? Do I wish she wasn’t dead? Of course, but there’s nothing I can do about that.”

Halley was a bit taken aback by Dawn’s tone. “I just…I want to make sure you’re taken care of right.” She looked at the paperwork. “Just having your sister to look after you.” She shook her head. “Why hasn’t your father claimed custody of you?”

“Because he’s a deadbeat,” Dawn said, simply. “I couldn’t really tell you. Child services came to check on me and they found everything okay.”

“I see that,” Halley said. “I also see here that your sister’s boyfriend lives with you all. That’s…six people living in the same house.” She raised an eyebrow. “That’s a lot of people.”

“Not really,” Dawn said. She quickly ran the logistics of the house. “It’s a three bedroom house with a full apartment in the basement. Willow and Tara share the master bedroom. Faith and I have our own rooms. Buffy and Daniel live in the apartment in the basement. It works out pretty well.”

Halley bit her lip and sighed. “Alright. As long as you’re happy…”

“I am. Most of the time, anyway. My friends, my family, they don’t like me being unhappy. I’m the center of their world and it’s…it’s nice.” Dawn said, smiling.

“Well, that’s good.” She said, standing. “I just wanted to be sure.” She offered her hand. “If you ever need to talk, I’m here for you.”

Dawn shook her hand and smiled. “I appreciate that.” She left the office and headed back to class. She felt better. It was nice just having a chance to talk about things. To be reminded of how much better her life had gotten. She was still sad that her mother and sister were no longer with her in the flesh, but she knew they were with her in spirit. And that made her feel pretty good.

 

Willow and Tara both got out of the Jeep and took the bouquets of flowers and made their way across the manicured lawn of the cemetery and came to the pair of tombstones. Tara waited a ways back to give Willow the time and privacy to say what she wanted to say.

“I’m sorry, Buffy.” The redhead said, sniffling and wiping her eyes. “I wanted to bring you back. To have you be a part of the family again. You’re in heaven. You’re where you belong. You earned it. Faith is a good slayer. You’d be proud of her. She’s doing all the things right this time. She said that you forgave her. That means a lot to her. I love her, Buffy.” She wiped her eyes again. “But I miss you. We all do.” She gave a weak smile. “I remember the time Tara’s family came to take her. After everything she’d done, you still stood up for her. You were gonna beat her father to a pulp. That was really cool. You called her family.” She sniffed. “That meant a lot.” She let out a soft sob and stepped away, wiping her eyes.

Tara moved up and laid a hand on her shoulder. Willow nodded, giving her a smile. She then moved a bit further. Tara laid the flowers on both graves. For Joyce, there wasn’t much she could say. Sadly, she didn’t know the woman very well. She did thank her for raising such wonderful daughters and said that she was missed. She then moved to Buffy’s grave. “I-I’ve never really been good with this kind of thing. You welcomed me into your family when you didn’t have to. You were willing to fight my father to keep him from taking me. Th-th-that means a lot to me. I wish you didn’t have to do this. B-but it’s okay. You’re in heaven now. You’re with your mom and, and my mom. I know she’d have liked you. There was a part of me that wanted Willow to bring you back. But it wouldn’t have been right. It wouldn’t have been fair. Dawn is doing so well. She’s growing up so fast. She still cries, but…she’s doing better. Faith has really stepped up. She’s the slayer I think you always knew she could be. We’d be lost without her. You can rest easy knowing that everyone is safe and we’re looking out for Dawn, just like you wanted. Even Spike.” She knelt and ran her fingers over the headstone.

The pair gave a moment of silence and left, heading back to the Jeep with tears in their eyes.

Faith stepped out of her car and grabbed the two paper bags out of her trunk. She slammed it shut and made her way through the cemetery. She got to the door to Spike’s crypt and tapped on it with her foot.

A moment later, Justine tugged the door open wearing underwear and a half-tank. “Hey, Faith.” She said, stepping aside.

The slayer stepped in, moved over to the sarcophagus and set the bags down. “Beware slayers bearing gifts.” She said, pulling things out of the bags. She had four cartons of cigarettes, a gallon jug of blood, two large Tupperware bins of spicy hot chicken wings, and a large tub of potato salad. “Thought you guys might be runnin’ low on smokes and could probably use some food.”

Spike climbed the ladder from the lower area. “Hey, slayer. I smell spicy wings.”

“What’s all this for?” Justine asked, cracking open a pack of cigarettes. She grabbed two, lit them, puffed them to life and handed one to Spike.

“Thanks.” He said, taking a seat.

“I got a favor to ask of the pair of you.” Faith said. “This is just to grease the wheels.”

“This looks like it’s homemade,” Spike said, pulling the lids off the wings.

“It is. Tara and I put that all together last night for you guys.” Faith said. “It’s a bribe, I’m not gonna lie.”

“What’s the favor?” Justine asked, taking a wing and scarfing it down. “Oh shit. Those are good.”

“Thanks. We were wondering if you two would mind covering patrol tonight? We’re having a birthday for Buffybot and we were just hoping. I know you said that you were just here for Warren, but maybe…” She bit her lip.

Justine shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

“I’ve got another set of body armor in the trunk of the car if you need it. I had tweed get me another set just in case.”

Justine nodded. “Sounds good. Especially if you’re gonna be dropping by shit like this.” She said, taking another wing. “What about you?”

“You don’t want me at that party, do you?” Spike asked. His tone sounded a bit hurt.

“You can come if you want.” Faith said. “I didn’t figure you’d want to. Invite’s open, blondie. Just make sure to bring her something appropriate.”

Justine chuckled. “What do you buy a robot for her birthday?”

Spike grinned. “You buy her a DeWalt power tool set and plaster a sticker across it that says ‘First Aid Kit’.” Justine belted out a loud laugh.

“Jesus, Spike. That was bad. Even for you.” Faith said, heading for the door.

“I’ll steer clear tonight,” Spike said. “Sounds more like a family affair anyway.”

Faith stopped and looked at the vampire. “Spike?” She walked over and lifted the jug. “This is from me, Dawn, Tara, and Willow.” She set it down and walked over to him, kissing him on the cheek. “You  _are_  part of the family. Don’t ever forget that.”

“Yeah.” He said, grinning. “I’m cousin Randy.”

Faith laughed so hard, she nearly fell over. She then threw her arms around him and hugged him. “Yes, you are.”

Justine watched the display and felt a pang of sadness. Her sister, Julia, was all she had. When the girl got killed, she didn’t know what to do. She was beside herself with anger and grief. That’s when she started her own personal war against the undead. Drunk and filled with rage, she went out every night to fight vampires. It was a wonder, after all these months, that she wasn’t dead.

Spike made no bones about being evil. Truth be told, that was part of what drew her to him. Like her, the life he was living was forced upon him. In the end, he was a hero because someone had stripped the choice from him. She was a hero because she didn’t want anyone else to feel the pain that she felt when her sister died. Pain kept him from being a monster. Pain kept her fighting them.

But Faith, the slayer, didn’t see a vampire when she looked at Spike. She saw a friend. Someone she trusted to have her back. She’d respected him, and in doing so earned his in return. He’d regaled her with his recent past in Sunnydale. He spent long, torturous hours in the clutches of a hell goddess getting the shit beat out of him all to protect Buffy’s little sister.

And he could never really say why. And she didn’t ask.

Faith smiled at him and took her leave. He sighed and continued smoking his cigarette. He looked at Justine and simply stared at her. “You’re a lot like her, you know.”

“Faith?” She asked, moving closer to him.

“No,” Spike said. “Buffy.”

“Didn’t expect to ever hear that.”

“You’ve got her spirit. You fight, knowing that at any second it could all go to pot. But that don’t stop you. You do it because you got hurt and don’t want no one else to feel that. No matter how hard you get hit, you keep gettin’ up. Buffy was a lot like that. She always came back, no matter how bad it hurt her to do it.” He pulled her closer to him. “That’s you, love.”

“You really did love her, didn’t you?” She asked him.

He sighed and finally gave her a nod. “Yeah, I did. Wish I didn’t. Then losin’ her wouldn’t have hurt so bloody bad.”

“I’m never gonna be able to replace her, Spike,” Justine said. “Not that there isn’t a part of me, seeing the look in your eyes, that wishes I could.”

He gave a chuckle. “No worries, love. Had a replacement for her once.” He took a drag. “Didn’t work out so well.”

She chuckled. “Well, I hope you’ve learned that there are things a real girl can do for you that a robot can’t.”

He gave her a sinister grin. “You’ve proven that well enough, love.”

 

Faith left his crypt and climbed into her car, heading to a different cemetery. The group agreed that they’d each visit the graves of both Buffy and Joyce to leave flowers and share a happy tale. She stopped and picked up flowers for both graves. As she arrived, she saw a couple of bouquets and realized that some of the others had already come and gone. She laid her own flowers down.

She stood and felt tears forming. “I’m doin’ it. For the both of you. For Dawn, for Red and T-bear. Even Tweed and Xan. I’m finally getting my shit together. You two can chill in heaven knowin’ everything’s alright. I just really wish I hadn’t made such a fucked up mess of it all. I guess regret is part of the redemption process, right?” She gave a smile. “Wish it didn’t have to end like this. I wish we could have spent more time together. I wish I could have done a lot of things different. But I’m doin’ what you asked. Little D is becoming a little badass. She’s whuppin ass all over the place. You’d be proud of her. And Mrs. S, I wish you could be here. Dawn needs you sometimes. Red, T-bear and me, we’re doin’ our best for her, but…we’re not you. We’re not her mom. And sometimes she just needs that. I’m sorry things went the way they did. You deserved better. You both did.” She sighed and turned to leave. She stopped, turned back and planted a soft kiss on both headstones. She then wiped her eyes and left. A sob worked its way up. She climbed into the Roadrunner and spun the tires as she took off.

Dawn leaned against the side of her Volkswagen, waiting for students to file out of the school. She saw Kit and whistled, waving at her. The shy brunette smiled and waved back, trotting up to the girl. “You waited for me.”

Dawn nodded, opening the door for her. “Of course I did. I wanted to ask you something.”

Kit got in and pulled it closed. She buckled up as Dawn slid behind the wheel. “What did you need to ask me?”

“Are you busy tonight?”

“Not really, no.” Kit said, softly. “Why?”

“Well, we’re having a sort of birthday party for Buffybot…”

“She was constructed today?” Kit asked, a little confused.

“Actually, we have no idea when she was built, but today was my sister’s birthday and since she passed away…I know it seems kind of strange, but…”

“I think it’s actually kind of sweet. It’s like an homage, almost. You still celebrate your sister’s birthday as a way of remembering her, while at the same time, giving Buffybot a bit of a humanizing influence.”

“I was gonna ask if you wanted to come,” Dawn said. “Everyone wants to meet you.”

Kit bit her lip. “I don’t have any money for a present.”

“That’s okay. Tara said she’d pop out and pick something up for you to give to Buffy. She’s nice like that.”

“I wanna go home and change first. And I have to tell my mom where I’m going to be.” Kit offered.

“Did you wanna spend the night?” Dawn grinned. “It’s a weekend, which means the party could go on for a while.”

“If…if it’s okay with your family.”

“Oh, they’d love to have you,” Dawn said, happily. “Thanks.” She pulled up in front of Kit’s house. “I gotta go do something. I’ll be back to pick you up in a little bit.”

Dawn stopped by the florist and picked up flowers for her sister and her mother’s gravesites. She got to the cemetery to see Xander and Anya moving toward Xander’s car.

“How are you doing, kiddo?” Xander asked.

“I’m okay,” Dawn said. She saw the redness around his eyes. She expected that. What she didn’t expect was to see Anya wiping her eyes. That the woman got emotional over anything was a surprise. “You okay, Anya?”

“I’m upset that Buffy and Joyce are dead. I liked them. And they died. I think it’s just stupid. If I was still a vengeance demon, I might have been able to do something about it.” She was angry now. “But I’m not. I’m just a stupid human with stupid limitations and no powers.” She began crying. “I’m useless.”

Xander moved over and pulled her in closer. “You’re not useless, sweetheart.” She leaned against him and cried. “This is part of being human.”

“Then I don’t like being human. This is terrible. I’m sad and, and angry and want it to stop.”

Dawn nodded to Xander and headed toward the graves, letting him lead his fiancé back to the car. She could see the plethora of flowers and was happy. The colors cheered her up a little. She placed the bouquets and stood for a long moment. “I miss you both so much.” She said, finally. “I try not being sad, not crying, but it’s hard. It’s hard not to hurt all the time. It’s hard not to be sad all the time. Everyone is really good to me. Being there when I need them and giving me some space when I need it. I couldn’t ask for better friends.” She gave a heavy sigh. “But they’re not you. And I want you both back. I know you’re in heaven and you’re happy, but …I wish you didn’t have to die.” She broke down and began crying.

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or not…and frankly, at that moment she didn’t really give a damn. She felt the strong slender arms of her sister and the warm soft arms of her mother embrace her and hold her tight. It felt as solid as the earth she stood on. For a few moments, before the sensation fled, she had her mother and sister back.

In the supernatural cauldron that was Sunnydale, a few moments…was a lifetime.

She sighed, happily and looked down at the tombstones. “Thank you.” She said, softly. She turned and made her way back to her car. The prospect of a party with friends sounded really good.

She stopped and trotted up, knocking on Kit’s front door. The girl answered, dressed in a pair of snug jeans and a t-shirt. She had a backpack over her shoulder. “I brought a change of clothes and a shower bag.”

Dawn nodded and opened the car door for her. “I think everyone is really gonna like you.”

Kit was nervous but didn’t wanna show it. “You look nervous,” Dawn said to her.

“Epic fail.” Kit said, softly. “I was hoping you wouldn’t notice.”

“Your knuckles are turning white.” Dawn offered as she pulled away. “And not to put too fine a point on it, but I think your backpack is crying from the death grip you have on it.”

“Sorry.” Kit said.

“Don’t be. I can understand you being nervous. You’re going to meet your girlfriend’s family. It can be pretty daunting.”

Kit whirled on Dawn. She wasn’t entirely sure Dawn knew what it was she had said.

“At least I’d like to think we’re girlfriends. I mean I know it seems a little sudden.”

 _Or maybe she did._  Kit thought. “Are you sure?” She asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Dawn asked. “I’ve spent that past week with you before and after school. We eat lunch almost every day together. Which reminds me, where were you today?”

“My mom came and picked me up to take me to a doctor’s appointment.” Kit said.

“Nothing bad I hope,” Dawn said, somewhat worried.

“No, nothing bad. It was an optometrist’s appointment. I might need glasses.”

Dawn smiled. “I think you’d look cute with glasses. You could get those cute designer frames. Get the whole sexy nerd thing going on.”

“I don’t think me and sexy belong in the same sentence together.”

“Then you’re obviously not seeing the same girl I am.” Dawn offered as they pulled up to the house. The black Jeep sat in the driveway. She pulled up beside the rig. She looked at Kit. “So is it ‘this is Kit, a friend from school’ or is ‘this is Kit, my girlfriend’?” Dawn asked her, smiling.

“I kinda like the way that second one sounds.” She said, smiling back.

Dawn nodded. “Good. So do I.” She said, climbing out of the car and walked up to the front door, letting herself in with Kit right behind her.

Willow came out of the kitchen. “Hey, Dawn.” She said, hugging the girl tightly. She then looked over at Kit. “Hi. I’m Willow.”

“I’m Kit.” The girl said, softly. “I’m Dawn’s girlfriend.”

Willow’s mouth dropped open. She slowly turned to Dawn. “You didn’t tell us you had a girlfriend.”

Dawn shrugged. She took Kit’s hand and smiled. “It just…kinda happened.”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Kit,” Willow said, happily. She was glad that Dawn finally found someone that she could share things with.

Tara and Faith both came out of the kitchen a heartbeat later. “Hey, little D.” Faith said.

“Kit, this is Faith,” Dawn said.

Kit nodded. “It’s nice to meet you. Dawn has told me a lot about you.”

“You’re the girl that kept her from gettin’ beat down.” Faith said. “Appreciate you lookin’ out for our girl.”

“She would have done the same for me.” Kit said.

“So you two dating or what?” Faith asked.

“Actually they are,” Willow said.

“No shit?” Faith moved around Kit, looking at her. “You got a good one, little D.”

Kit blushed. She looked at Dawn, biting her lip. The teen giggled. “You’re cute when you’re embarrassed.”

Tara stepped up. “Sorry, sweetie. Faith can be a bit blunt.” She offered a hand. “I’m Tara. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“You too.” Kit said. “I’m sorry, I didn’t have a lot of money…”

“Oh, that’s alright,” Tara said moving over to the closet. She opened it and pulled a small box out. “I went and picked this up for you to give to her. It’s not much, but I know she likes them.”

Kit took the plain brown box and sat down to open it. Dawn was right beside her. In fact, none of the girls had known what it was. She pulled the Styrofoam out and took it apart. In a plastic bag was a beautiful snow globe with the British Palace of Westminster inside. She turned it upside down and watched as the snow glittered about within. “It’s really pretty.”

“Buffybot loves snow globes,” Tara said.

Dawn nodded, but Faith and Willow looked at her. “I didn’t know that.” Faith said.

“Me either,” Willow added. “She never said anything.”

“Every time we get a magazine that has one advertised in it, she wants it,” Tara said. “That’s why Dawn and I bought her so many for Christmas.”

“That does explain it. Also, explains why all of the Los Angeles crew bought her one.” Faith said. “Learn something new every day. I just thought they were being cheap.”

“These aren’t cheap.” Kit said. “My mom has one that’s the Tokyo tower that cost her almost a hundred dollars.”

“So where are Buffy and Daniel?” Dawn asked, looking about.

“He took her to go antiquing.” Faith said. “I’m not sure why I’m surprised by that. Kid seems the type, to be honest.”

“Knowing you, you’d do it looking for old swords and knives,” Dawn said.

“Actually…” Faith said, biting her lip. “I like old boxes and strange old jewelry, too.”

Tara and Willow both stood and moved to either side of her, kissing her. “Then we’ll have to remember that on your next birthday, won’t we?” Willow said.

“And make you wear it for us,” Tara whispered, kissing Faith again. “And nothing else.”

Kit watched the trio and sighed. She could tell they loved each other. She looked over at Dawn. The brunette was staring back at her with a soft smile. Kit’s breathing hitched in her throat as Dawn leaned closer. She fought the urge to pull back. Dawn’s lips touched hers, lightly. When Kit didn’t move away, Dawn slid her fingers into her thick chocolate brown locks and grew braver with every heartbeat. Kit’s arms snaked around Dawn’s waist, pulling her closer. The pair soon shared an impassioned embrace.

Faith tapped both of her girls and pointed. She didn’t say a word. The pair smiled and followed Faith as she moved to give the two on the couch some privacy.

 


	54. Chapter 54

 

“This is pretty,” Buffybot said, lifting an old necklace from the shelf. She turned to her boyfriend, holding it around her neck. “What do you think?”

Daniel regarded her with a smile. It looked to be made of brass with a large green gem set in the center. He nodded. “It looks good on you.” He said. “Do you want it?” He asked her.

She nodded. “I think it’s very pretty.” She said, happily. “Thank you for bringing me with you.”

He chuckled. “How could I not bring my favorite girl?” He asked, kissing her. “Come on. Let’s go pay for this and head home.” As they walked up to the counter of the antique store, he looked at his watch. It was just after six. He knew the girls would have the house ready for the surprise party by now.

After he paid for the necklace, which turned out wasn’t all that much given how nice it was, the pair left the shop and began the leisurely walk home. “I love you, Daniel,” Buffybot said softly. “I’m glad that what I am doesn’t bother you.”

“You’re a wonderful human being, Buffy. I don’t care if it’s muscle and bone or servos and metal. You’re a beautiful, charming and just an all around fantastic person.” He moved her up against the wall of a building and kissed her passionately. “I’m addicted to you. Every morning when I wake up, there you are, smiling at me. It’s a fantastic sight. I can’t think of anyone I would rather start the day with than you.”

She grinned widely at him. “I like being with you, too. You always say such nice things to me. And when we have sex, you make me feel really good.”

He laughed at her bluntness. It did kind of bother him at first, but he had come to accept it as part and parcel with who she was. And it was just one more thing that he found to love. Her previous experience – which he still found a little bizarre – was a hundred and thirty-year-old vampire. And from what she had told him, she enjoyed being with him more. That was a hell of an ego boost. He took her hand and kissed the palm. “Come on.” He said. “Let’s get home. There are things I wanna do that aren’t to be done in polite company.

Buffybot giggled and nodded. “Okay.” She said, letting him lead her toward the Summers house. She stared at his rear as they trotted along. “You have a really nice butt.” She said, joyfully.

He turned back to her. “Thanks to you.”

The pair made it to the house. He looked at her, pulled her in tightly and kissed her again. “I love you, baby.” He said, before throwing the front door open.

“Surprise!” Everyone shouted happily.

Buffybot was indeed surprised. “What’s this?” She asked, looking at the collected group.

Daniel stepped up, wrapping his arms around her waist. “It’s a party for you, baby.” He said, kissing the side of her neck.

“It was Faith’s idea,” Willow said, motioning to the brunette slayer. “She thought it would be a good idea to give you a birthday.”

“You’re a part of the family, double B. You deserve to be treated like it. I know today probably isn’t the day you were…built, brought online or…whatever. But today is fitting, we think.”

Buffybot turned to Dawn. “It’s because today was  _her_  birthday, isn’t it?” She asked, softly.

Dawn nodded. “It’s kind of a…” She looked to Kit. “What was that word you used?”

“Homage?” Kit asked.

“Yeah, that,” Dawn said. “It’s an homage to her while being a day to celebrate you being here. We’re just calling it a birthday.”

Buffybot smiled and hugged the teen. “Thank you.” She said. She then looked at everyone. “Thank you all so much.”

She made the rounds, hugging everyone firmly. She finally got to Kit and hugged her. She then stepped back and cocked her head. “Who are you?” She asked, smiling.

“I’m Dawn’s…”

“She’s my girlfriend,” Dawn said, stepping up behind the girl, encircling her arms about Kit’s stomach. “We decided to start dating today, in fact.” She nibbled the side of Kit’s neck, causing the girl to giggle. “Frankly, I’m looking forward to it.”

Kit nodded. “So am I.” She said, softly.

Buffy hugged the girl again. “Welcome to the family.”

“We got you presents,” Anya said, a smile plastered across her face. “And we brought cake.”

Everyone gave a slight chuckle.

“Can I open them now?” Buffybot said, smiling.

“It’s your birthday, B. You can do whatever you want.” Faith said. The rest of the group nodded.

Giles, being true to form, had gotten Buffybot an antique Norse battle axe. “It’s enchanted.” He said, happily.

Buffybot, of course, loved it. She hugged him and thanked him. Daniel couldn’t help but chuckle. “If it were anyone else, that might seem strange.” He said to the Watcher.

Olivia, somewhat unsure of what to get the girl, decided on a matching cocktail dress, clutch bag, and high heels that all sported the British Union Jack. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what else to get you.” She said, somewhat sheepishly. “Faith let me know your size.”

“They’re lovely,” Buffy said, smiling. “I can’t wait to wear them.” She gave Olivia a hug. “Thank you.”

“Here.” Kit said, offering Buffy the box Tara had gotten. “It’s not much but…”

Buffy ripped into it. She pulled the snow globe out and stared at it. She tipped it over and watched the snow flitter about. “It’s wonderful.” The girl said, whimsically.

“She loves snow globes,” Daniel said. “She doesn’t have this one yet.”

“Thank you, Kit,” Buffybot said, giddy. Like before, she gave the shy brunette a warm hug. “That’s so thoughtful.” Kit beamed brightly.

Dawn was next. She watched as Buffy shredded the wrapping paper in record time. She pulled out the knee length leather jacket. “I know you were saying how nice it was last time we were at the mall.”

She looked at Dawn, smiling. “You remembered.” She said, softly. “I didn’t think you were paying attention.”

“Well, I was,” Dawn said, giving the bot a hug.

“Thank you, Dawnie,” Buffybot said, tears in her eyes.

“It’s not over yet,” Xander said. “Me and Anya pitched in together on the materials.” He moved into the kitchen and wheeled out a large wrapped…something. “I put in the wrench time and built it myself. It’s one of a kind.”

Buffy got up and pulled the mass of wrapping paper away, revealing a tall two door glass front curio cabinet with intricate scrollwork on the top and bottom. It was made of a deep colored cherry wood and looked absolutely fantastic. “Xander, this is incredible.”

“Now you have a place to put all of those beautiful snow globes,” Anya said. “It was very expensive.” She said, smiling.

Buffy hugged them both tightly. “Thank you so much.”

“Definitely gonna be fun to try and get down the stairs,” Daniel said, looking the thing over.

“Oh, don’t worry about that, D.” Faith said. “Me and B can handle the heavy lifting. Alright, B.” Faith pushed the last three boxes toward her. “Two of these are actually for Daniel. Kind of a matching set. From me, T-bear and Red.”

Buffy took the two boxes that were his and smiled. “Here, sweetie.” She then tore into hers. They opened the square boxes first. They each pulled out a full face motorcycle helmet. Buffy’s had what looked like electrical circuits and computer boards painted on it. “This is neat.” She said, looking it over.

Daniel’s helmet had what looked like live wires sparking over the top. “Okay.” He said, smiling. “This is kind of cool.”

“One more, studly.” Faith said, pointing to the box. “Something to finish it off.”

He ripped the package open and pulled out a heavy leather jacket with a patch on the back of a beautiful winged blonde woman. He chuckled as he noticed that the woman bore a striking resemblance to Buffy. He showed her the patch. “My Valkyrie.” He said, pulling her in and kissing her. Two pairs of leather gloves were also inside the box.

“One last gift,” Tara said. She took Daniel’s hands.

“It’s in the garage,” Willow said, smiling. “Come on. Everyone in the house pitched in for it.” She took Buffy’s hands and lifted her to her feet.

Everyone trooped out to stand beside the tarp covered form. Buffy and Daniel both seemed giddy.

Faith took hold of the tarp. “You ready?” As they both nodded, she pulled it free, revealing the massive silver and chrome motorcycle. “Happy birthday, B.” She said, stepping away. “We thought you should have your own wheels.”

“Oh my God,” Buffybot said, softly. She stood, dumbfounded. “I don’t know what to say.”

Everyone saw the girl’s reaction and couldn’t help but smile. Daniel stepped up and held her from behind. “It’s perfect.” He said, happily. “Just like you.”

Buffy turned to Willow, Tara, Faith, and Dawn. “You all bought this for me?”

“Faith picked it out,” Tara said. “But we all thought it was something you’d like.”

“Mom would have never let Buffy have one. But you’re your own person. You should be allowed to be as crazy as you wannabe.” Dawn offered. “Faith said that she heard you talking about how much you wanted a motorcycle.”

“Daniel thought I’d look sexy on one,” Buffy said, looking up at him.

Xander, Giles, and Olivia were all checking the motorcycle over. “This is seriously sweet.” The younger man said, nodding.

“Looks quite comfortable as well,” Giles added. He looked at Olivia. “Looks like something a young couple would have a lark with.”

She moved up to him and kissed him. “It does at that. Maybe something a loving pair could spend a summer on traveling about the countryside.”

“There’s one more gift that needs to be given,” Daniel said. He reached into his pocket with shaking hands. He pulled a small wrapped box out and offered it to her.

Buffy took it and opened it. She saw a small felt covered box. She opened it to reveal a beautiful gold ring with an emerald set in. She stared at it and looked at him.

Daniel swallowed and got to one knee, much to the shock of everyone present. It was as much a surprise to them as it was to Buffybot. “For the past three months, you’ve been the greatest thing to ever happen to me. I know this seems a bit sudden, but…” He took her hand. “Buffy? Would you do me the incredible honor of marrying me?” He asked her. He stared into her lovely eyes.

She kept his eyes for a long time. She felt tears begin to form. She smiled widely. “Yes.” She said, her voice barely a whisper. “Yes, Daniel. I’ll marry you.”

He let out the breath he didn’t know he was holding and shot to his feet. He lifted her from the floor and spun her around the room. “Thank you. Thank you so much.” He kissed her repeatedly.

“Well…” Faith said. “I did  _not_  see that coming.” As she looked around at the stunned faces, neither did anyone else.

 

Spike stood next to the building obscured in the alley, watching as the pair of black Humvee’s rolled slowly through town. “Bloody hell.” He said, extinguishing his cigarette.

Justine looked past him. “Friends of yours?” She asked, seeing the huge vehicles.

He tapped his head. “They’re the lot responsible for this thing in my head.” He growled. “I thought they all left town.”

“What exactly are they?” She asked.

“A bunch of blokes call themselves the Initiative. They got roots as far back as world war 2.” He said. “I first heard about them in 1943. Angel had gotten roped into helpin’ ‘em out.”

“So these guys have had a hard on for you guys for over seventy years?” Justine said watching the vehicles cruise by.

“Don’t think they’re here for me,” Spike said.

“How do you know?” She asked.

“Because one of them saw me…and didn’t so much as stop.” Spike stepped out of the alley. “I wanna trail these boys. Found out what they’re lookin’ for.”

She shrugged and dropped her cigarette butt on the ground. “Then let’s go say hi.” She moved away from the wall she was leaning on. “Christ, how does she wear this shit?” She asked, adjusting the body armor that Faith loaned her.

“She’s a slayer, love. She probably can barely tell she’s wearing it.” Spike said, moving to the girl’s car. “You drive.”

She slid behind the wheel and fired the Chevelle up. She pulled away from the curb and kept a ways back, following the slow moving rigs. “They’re definitely not in any hurry.” She said.

Spike was paying attention to the direction they were traveling. As they turned this corner and that, he realized where they were going. “Oh, no you bastards don’t.” He said. “Put the top down.”

“Why? What’s going on?” She asked. She, however, did what he asked.

“I know where they’re headed and I ain’t gonna let ‘em get there.” He said. The top slowly folded back. “Get me close to the one in the back.”

Justine furrowed her brow. “What are you doing?” She asked.

“I’m gonna stop ‘em,” Spike said, releasing his seat belt.

“Um…no you’re not.” She said. “You can’t. These dudes are human. They’re assholes, but they’re human.”

“Bloody hell.” He said, exasperated. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Where exactly are they going?” Justine asked.

“They’re going to Buffy’s house,” Spike said. “And we aren’t gonna let them get there.”

She grinned. “Relax, loverboy.” She said, shifting gear. She pulled off the road into an alley. “We know where they’re going. We just need to beat them there, right?”

“Exactly.” He said. “What have you got in mind?”

“Fight fire with napalm.” She said, gunning it. “I saw something that I know will help.”

Spike noticed that they were backtracking. “What are you doing?”

“What? You didn’t think I was gonna try to play road warrior with these guys in this thing, did you? Those are armored Humvee’s. They’re as near as makes no difference twice the weight. They’d tear through this like a wet paper towel.” She pointed to the side of the road. “We need something with a little more lead in her zeppelin.”

Spike turned and saw the massively lifted old school Ford Bronco sitting on a trailer. It had a heavy gauge push bumper on the front, a tube bumper on the back and a thick black roll cage around the  _outside_ of the vehicle. It sat on tremendous forty-four-inch tires. “Bloody hell.” He said. “What is this bloke waiting for, the bloody apocalypse?”

Justine pulled off to the side and raised the top on her car. “How many apocalypses has this town had?” She asked. “Take that into account and this guy doesn’t seem so dumb, now does he?” She climbed out of the car. “Come on.” She said, trotting across the street.

“What are you gonna do? Knick it?” Spike asked.

“No. I’m gonna knock on the door and ask him for his keys. Of course, I’m gonna knick it.” She said, moving up to the rig. They quickly released the straps keeping it on the trailer. “This guy’s gonna be so pissed,” Justine said, chuckling. As soon as it was free, she tried the door handle. “Fuckin’ redneck.” She said, pulling the door open. She reached over and unlocked the passenger side door. She climbed in and felt under the dash. “Gotta love old rigs.” She said, pulling the wires down.

“How did you learn to do this, anyway?” Spike asked.

“Girl Scouts,” Justine said, touching a pair of wires together. The big Ford rumbled to life. “Oh yeah.” She said, shifting gears. The huge four by four bounced down off of the trailer. She stomped on the gas and ripped off toward the Summers house at top speed. The Bronco screamed as she shifted. “This thing has some serious balls.” She said. “I could get used to this.”

“We have to hurry,” Spike said. “They should be getting close by now.”

Justine nodded and turned, heading down alleyways and through cemeteries. “This is gonna be epic.” She said, with a giggle. “I’ve always wanted to do this.” A moment later, they spilled out onto the street and saw the tail lights of the Humvee’s ahead of them. “Now we’ve got a level playing field.”

“I hope you know what the bloody hell you’re doing,” Spike said.

She turned to regard him. “Relax. I’ve got the best driving experience money can buy.”

“What, did you train to be a stunt driver or something?” He asked.

“No. But I did get gold medals on all of the driving tests in Gran Tourismo 3 A-Spec.” She said, jamming the shifter back. “Close enough.”

“We’re gonna die,” Spike said.

Justine kept the throttle full and raced up behind the Hummer. “Howdy boys.” She said just as the steel push bumper slammed into the back of the black SUV. “Gotta love a Ford big block.”

The Humvee swerved wildly under the impact. On instinct the driver fed more power to the road, trying to accelerate away. The huge turbo diesel rattled as it accelerated.

“Right. Unwind all hundred and ninety of those horses, buddy. That’ll save you.” Justine said, slamming into him again. “I just can’t get enough of dat ass.” She hit him again.

“I think you’re just pissing him off,” Spike said. He watched as one of the soldiers leaned out a window, leveling a submachine gun at them. “Oh yeah, he’s pissed.”

“Goody for him,” Justine said. She looked at the speed they were going and grinned. “You ever seen World’s Wildest Police Videos?” She asked. She weaved back and forth. She knew, as most people did that shooting an automatic weapon from a high-speed car through town was a bit of a wasted exercise.

“Can’t say as I have,” Spike said.

“I bet they haven’t either,” Justine said. She pulled out wide and turned the wheel, executing a perfect pit maneuver on the Humvee. Given that the weight of the heavily armored SUV was near that of the lifted four by four, the tactic had the desired effect. At ninety miles an hour, the big machine was a bitch to control.

The driver of the Humvee did exactly what he shouldn’t have done. He cranked the wheel, trying to regain said control. As the rig slid, he threw the wheel back and forth, hitting a parked car. The huge tires of the Hummer rolled up onto the car and caused the SUV to roll onto its side, sliding in a shower of sparks.

Justine whipped past the SUV and gained on the other. She smiled when she saw that he’d turned around. She pulled to a stop. “Oh really?” She asked. She looked at Spike. “You wanna get out or do you feel like a game of chicken?”

“We’ve come this far,” Spike said. “You know if we actually hit them, I’ll survive it. You won’t.”

She shrugged. “Gotta die sometime.” She said, jamming her foot to the floor. The Bronco shot off the line, racing toward the Hummer. She kept her hand on the wheel and the other on the stick. She continued grabbing gears. She had a smirk on her face. The Hummer came toward her, faster and faster.

Spike couldn’t believe she was doing this. He knew she was crazy, but he didn’t understand how crazy she really was until this moment. “They’re not turning, love.”

“Probably not.” She said. “Exciting isn’t it?” She shifted again, maxing out the gears. She then gripped the wheel with both hands. “No turning back now.”

As death loomed toward them at speeds in excess of a hundred miles an hour, Justine Cooper didn’t flinch.

The driver of the Humvee, however, did. He veered sideways at the last second. His rig careened into a series of parked vehicles and beyond to flip over again and again in someone’s lawn.

Justine downshifted and came to a stop. “Let’s go and mop up.” She said, climbing out of the Ford. She trotted up to the first of the men that was trying to climb out of the Humvee. She reached down and pulled him free. She lifted him and slammed him against the SUV. She quickly pulled his pistol and stuffed it into the man’s mouth. She turned to Spike. “What do you say?”

Spike crossed his arms. “They did create a demon-robot hybrid that went on a killing spree before the slayer stopped him. That and they tried to kill her.”

The man shook his head emphatically.

Justine turned to him. “Sorry, bud. I trust him more than I trust you.” She pulled the trigger. The soldier’s brains splattered all over the bottom of the SUV. Without pity or remorse, Justine put bullets in the three soldiers in the first Humvee. She walked toward the first rig that she’d flipped over.

Spike barely managed to grab her and turn his back to the soldiers as they emptied the Submachine guns into him. He gritted his teeth as he held her close. The bullets punched into him. “Bloody fucking hell this hurts.”

“It won’t kill you, though will it?” She asked him.

“No. But that don’t make it hurt any less.” He said. He could hear the weapons click empty. “Your turn.”

Justine pointed the pistol and emptied the magazine into the first man, blowing his face apart.

Spike then wrapped around her as they fired again. “Fall back.” He heard one of them shout.

“Oh, Jesus!” Another shouted, just before a horrible cracking sound rent the air.

“Fuck me!” Came another alarmed voice. The man fired his weapon into the darkness but hit nothing. A glint of steel was the last thing he saw before his head flew free of his shoulders.

That left one. The man threw his weapon down and dropped to his knees. “God, don’t kill me.” He said, holding his hands up. The blade pierced his chest then withdrew, dropping him dead to the ground.

Spike and Justine looked about, wondering just what the hell was going on.

Then, out of the shadows like a wraith, Angel came into the circle of the street light. His sword resting on his shoulder. “Hey, Spike.”

Spike looked at the elder vampire with a sardonic chuckle. “Angel.”

He looked about at the chaos and then to Justine. “Nice to know you’re being subtle.”

“You didn’t send me up here because I was subtle. If you wanted subtle, you would have come yourself.” She said, crossing her arms.

“Why are you here?” Spike asked.

“I was following them,” Angel said, pointing to the dead soldiers. “They’re…”

“Initiative,” Spike said. “I know who they are.”

“No. They’re not,” Angel said. “They’re a wet team from Wolfram and Hart.”

“That law firm?” Justine said, looking around. “Since when does a law firm employ mercenaries?”

“They’re more than just a law firm,” Angel said, kneeling beside one of the bodies. “They were here for Buffybot.”

“Why would they want her?” Spike asked. “What good would she do them?”

“Think about it.” He said. “She’s robotic technology that’s beyond anything they can come up with. And when she was down there, she took out a group this size without breaking a sweat.” He shook his head. “I was trying to get them before they got to her.” He looked up at Spike. “I’m glad you two were here.”

“Why didn’t you call ahead and warn the Scoobies?” Spike asked. “If you knew these blokes were coming, you could have…”

Angel looked down sheepish. “I didn’t know where they were going until I got on the highway.” He said. “And I forgot my cell phone at the hotel.”

“Sad mate,” Spike said. “We’d best clear out before the coppers show up.”

“We might need a ride,” Justine said. “On account of ours is stolen.”

“Okay,” Angel said, as they climbed into his Plymouth. “You really need to understand that it’s not okay to break the law.”

“Hey. Greater good and all that noise.” Justine said, smiling. “I only did what I had to do.”

“You just cut down three blokes, Angel. Not a whole lot of room to talk.”

Angel wanted to argue, but he couldn’t. He’d actually killed quite a few humans in his time since gaining a soul. Justine was just doing what she had to, to save lives. He couldn’t really fault her. He decided to drop it. He dropped the pair off at Justine’s car. He said goodbye and made one more stop.

He stood beside his car and watched the group through the window. Buffy and Daniel danced close together, just enjoying the warmth of each other. He knew that the being he saw wasn’t the love of his life, but at the same time, it was hard to remember that.

He watched a moment longer and turned climbing into the convertible. He looked one last time and pulled away from the curb.

Faith could feel what was almost a familiar tingle in the back of her neck. She moved over and looked out the front window. She saw the black ragtop drive away. She grinned and nodded. “See ya around, big guy.” She said, quietly.

 


	55. Chapter 55

 

Faith leaned against the counter, watching Buffybot and Daniel both work the restaurant like a pair of well-oiled machines. She grinned at them. “You two are so cute.” She said, sipping her soda.

Buffybot smiled in return and set the large box on the counter next to her. “Daniel says that to me all the time.” She said, happily. “So that’s two Doublemeat Medley meals for you. A double cheeseburger with extra bacon and onion rings for Dawn. Two large salads for Tara and Willow.” She looked at Faith. “Did I forget anything?”

“Got any of that awesome fry sauce Daniel makes?” Faith asked.

He stepped over, placing a cardboard soup bowl into the box with a grin. “Welcome to the Doublemeat Palace, order when you’re ready.” He said to the headset as he winked at Faith.

“Thanks, D.” She said, nodding. “How much longer you two got?”

“We’ll get this last order taken and then we have to clean up. About twenty minutes.” Buffybot said.

“I’m gonna put this in the boot and I’ll be back in.” Faith said, taking the food. She stopped by the door and grinned. “Oh, give me a double order of the Doublemeat Nuggets with that spicy sauce, and another Doublemeat Medley with a large coke would you?”

Buffybot nodded. “Of course.” She said, turning to drop the order.

Faith left the restaurant and made her way to the car. She got the trunk open as Spike and Justine both made their way up to her. “What brings you guys out tonight?”

Justine was obviously happy. She was also rubbing her hand. “You’d think that stupid son of a bitch would get the hint and leave town.” The girl said. “Figure he’d get sick of getting the hell beat out of him.”

“Another run in with Warren?” Faith asked.

“Yeah. About a half hour ago. He was down near Willy’s.” Spike said. “Watched red here pound him rotten.”

“Jesus, how many times does that make now?” Faith asked.

“Eight,” Justine said.

“Nope, nine.” Spike corrected. “Remember that time out behind the Seven Eleven on Montecito?”

“That wasn’t an ass whuppin, though,” Justine said. She turned to Faith. “I smacked him around a little bit and he tried running and tripped over a curb. Got road rash pretty bad. I let him go without beatin’ him down anymore. Kinda felt sorry for him.”

“Well, I’m glad all the same. He hasn’t been causing us any problems. Kinda nice, to be honest.”

“They still makin’ food?” Justine asked, looking inside the restaurant.

“I got a double order of nuggets down and a Doublemeat Medley on the order for you guys.” Faith said, heading back inside. “Felt Spike skulking about and…”

“I don’t skulk,” Spike said, opening the door for the pair.

“Dude you so totally skulk.” Faith said.

“Seriously,” Justine said, pulling him in to kiss him. “You skulk. On occasion, you’ve been known to lurk, but mostly you skulk.”

“Skulk just sounds so…skeevy,” Spike said.

“Spike?” Faith said, walking backward in front of him. “You’re a vampire. Your kind  _invented_  skulking.”

“That’s low, slayer,” Spike said, glaring.

“Don’t feel so bad, Spike,” Daniel said as he put the pair of bags on the counter. “James Bond, the greatest secret agent in the world has been known to skulk at times.”

Faith and Justine laughed.

“Stop trying to help, Daniel,” Spike said, snatching the bags off the counter. He did, however, give the boy a bit of smirk, to steal the lion’s share of the menace the statement may have carried. “Besides, I was British before British was cool.” He paused a moment. “Or, you know, welcome in the colonies at all.”

“You ever get to see Cream in concert?” Daniel asked.

“I did, actually,” Spike said. “I saw them in October of ‘68 at the Forum in Los Angeles.” He nodded. “Good show, that.”

“That had to have been awesome. They’re one of my favorite classic rock bands.”

“Arguably Clapton’s best work,” Spike said. He held the bags up. “Thanks for the food. We’re making a night of it.”

“Take care, guys,” Daniel said. “Be safe.” Justine waved as they left. “Nice couple.” He offered, before turning back to his work.

A few minutes later, the pair were done and ready to shut the place down. “I’ll follow you guys home.” Faith said as they locked up the shop.

Buffybot moved over to the motorcycle carrying their helmets.

“Hey, um…” A pair of boys stepped from the shadows.

Faith stared at them and immediately knew what they were. She flexed her wrist just so and the stake in the custom wrist sheath Willow had made for her shot into her hand. She kept it tucked close to her pant leg. “What brings you boys out so late?” She asked, stepping over in front of Daniel. He was by no means a fighter. If Faith adopted the protective posture she had, it was for a reason. He immediately stepped behind the motorcycle. Yes, he carried a stake with him, but he wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary.

Buffybot saw Faith’s movements and readied for action. “You are vampires.” She said, matter of fact. “That means we have to kill you.”

The boys looked at each other, somewhat surprised. “How did you know?” One of them asked.

“I’m the slayer, dumbass.” Faith said. “I could tell a mile away.” She spun the stake into her hand. “I got girls waiting for dinner, so can we hurry this up?”

“I’ve always wondered if I could take you.” The one that had done all the talking said, running at her, going game face.

Faith took two large steps and moved a little to the right, slamming her arm across his chest, flipping his legs up into the air. As he was aloft, she spun and hammered her stake into his chest. He landed as nothing but ashen dust. “Let me answer that for you. No, you can’t.” She said to his disintegrating corpse.

Buffybot moved toward the vampire. He leapt, loosing a hard jab. The bot lowered her head, letting his fist crack off of her reinforced titanium skull. His hand crunched. She gripped his throat and drove her fist into his abdomen a half dozen times, then released him to slam both palms into his chest, hurling him back to slide across the concrete of the parking lot. “Sorry to be the one to tell you this.” She said, stalking toward him. She pulled a stake from her jacket. “But the kitchen is closed.” She stabbed him in the heart with the wood. “We open again at six AM. Do call again.” She added as he blew away.

“Well, that was fun.” Faith said, replacing her stake. “Now I’m hungry  _and_  horny.”

Daniel was already sitting on the back of the motorcycle, waiting for Buffybot. “I love watching you work, baby.”

The blonde robot kissed him before taking her spot on the front of the bike. “I like you watching me work.” She offered, placing her helmet on. She fired the Goldwing up and roasted off the back tire before heading home.

Faith laid a pair of stripes out of the parking lot as she followed them.

The group sat about the table eating the food they’d brought back and chatting idly. “So according to Justine, she’s brought the whoopin’ on Warren like, eight or nine times now.” Faith said, chuckling. “I’m almost startin’ to feel sorry for the kid.”

“I’m not,” Dawn said, munching on an onion ring. “He deserves everything he gets. He challenged the supremacy of the House of Slayer. Now he learns that our influence is far reaching and without pity, remorse or mercy.”

Tara and Willow actually giggled. Faith raised an eyebrow. “Where the hell did you learn to talk like that?”

“I have to read Frank Herbert’s Dune for my English class,” Dawn said. “Not a bad book, but kinda long and boring.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Faith said. “Movie was better than the book.”

“Oh, screw that,” Dawn said. “That was a Sci-Fi channel special. They make crap movies.”

“Oh, I wasn’t talking about that one. I was talking about 1984 Theatrical release. It was actually a pretty damn good movie. Hit a lot of the bullet points without being a boring as shit miniseries.” Faith said. “You should watch it.”

“I didn’t know they made one that far back,” Dawn said. “I’m still gonna have to read the book because knowing my teacher, she won’t let us get away with watching the movie.”

Tara shook her head. “Most teachers won’t. They’ll always make sure that any questions that are asked are always stuff that wasn’t in the movies.”

Willow sighed. “I had to read Jane Eyre. That was a really boring book.”

“Damn.” Faith said. “You’re like the biggest nerd I know. If you’re telling me that a book is boring, that’s saying something.”

“It put me to sleep,” Willow said. “I was getting ready to ditch it and watch one of the movies they’d made about her when the teacher told us that she was testing on book content only. I found a quiet corner of the school and cried.”

“I guess I got lucky.” Faith said. “I had to read Bram Stoker’s Dracula.”

“He’s real, you know,” Willow said. “Apparently he sold his story to Bram Stoker in 1891. It took Stoker almost seven years to get it published.”

“I didn’t figure he would actually be real,” Daniel said. “Thought he was more like Lestat.”

“Oh, Anne Rice?” Willow shook her head. “None of them exist. Lestat, Louie, all of those characters are made up. Rumor has it that she actually got the idea of Louie from Angel and Lestat from Spike, but they’ve never said.”

“Not something to be proud of,” Dawn said. “That would be like being the inspiration for Jean-Claude in the Anita Blake novels.” She shuddered.

“Okay.” Faith said, looking at Dawn. “That is shit you shouldn’t be reading until you’re like, forty.”

“Please. It’s in the school library.” Dawn offered.

“That’s it,” Tara said, blushing. “You’re homeschooling from now on.”

“Which books have you read?” Daniel asked.

“Just everything up to Obsidian Butterfly,” Dawn said. “They’ve actually been pretty good so far. Not a fan of first person, but…”

“Stop now.” He said. “Finish on a good note. From here on in it gets…”

“It’s porn.” Faith said. “Pure and simple. I’ve read them all and it’s just porn from here on in. And she keeps rehashing the same shit.”

“I checked out the blurb for Narcissus in Chains.” Dawn shook her head. “Not interested.”

“Good,” Willow said.

“You’ve read them, Red?” Faith asked her. “I didn’t figure you’d go in for that kind of thing.”

“I haven’t,” Willow said. “But Xander has. He says they were really good.”

“Well, they’re great if you’re a dude.” Faith offered. “D here probably got a kick out of them.”

“Yeah, not a fan of lycanthrope sex.” He said. “Call me crazy.” He leaned over and kissed Buffy. “Besides that, I’m happily engaged.”

“Yeah, you are,” Dawn said. “You two are so cute.”

Buffybot stood and took Daniel’s hand. “I want to go to bed.” She said, suddenly. “Goodnight, everyone.”

“‘Night,” Daniel said, following his fiancé into the basement.

Dawn looked at the clock. “Jeez, is it really almost one?” She asked, yawning.

“Sure is.” Faith said. “You hittin’ the sack?”

“Yeah. It’s been a long day.” She got up and gathered her food wrappers. “I’m out.” She said, heading to the kitchen to throw her trash away.

Faith finished her meal and burped into her hand. “Me and double B put a couple of vampires down tonight.” She bobbed her eyebrows at her girlfriends.

Tara and Willow both giggled and nodded. The three veritably ran up the stairs to the shared bedroom.

Dawn heard them thunder past her bedroom door and sighed heavily. “Every damn night.”

The stereo suddenly clicked on. “Games people play. You take it or leave it. Things that they say, just don’t make it right. If I’m tellin’ you the truth right now, do you believe it? Games people play in the middle of the night.” Sounded before the radio shut off.

“Oh, shut up you,” Dawn said, looking around the room. She was pretty certain she heard a soft giggling.

Buffybot moved around the restaurant, looking at the clipboard. “Todd?” She asked the young man at the grill. “Did you say you needed Monday, or Tuesday off next week?”

“Tuesday, if possible.” The boy said. “My sister is coming into town and I wanted to spend some time with her.”

“Okay. I just wanted to be sure.” She said, jotting the information down. “I’ve got you closing on Monday, is that okay?”

“That’s fine.” He said. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” She said, going back to it.

“Buffy?” Philip, the employee running the counter called back to her. “Someone here to see you.”

Buffybot moved up to the counter. She looked up at the large, broad shoulder young man with a scar bisecting his left eye. He was rather handsome in a rugged sort of way. He seemed clad in body armor of some sort and looked very out of place. Undeterred, she smiled up at him. “How can I help you?”

He gave her a soft smile. “Hey.”

“You asked to see me?” She asked him.

He looked confused a moment. “Buffy. It’s me. Riley.”

“Do I…know you?” She asked. Now she was confused. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember anyone named Riley.”

“You don’t remember me? We dated for over a year.” He said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe this.”

Daniel heard the commotion and quickly intervened. “Buffy? Let’s go take a break.”

The blonde frowned. “It’s not our break time, yet.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine. We’re not that busy right now.” He stared her in the eyes. “Please?”

“Oh, alright.” She said, pulling her hat off. “Todd? I need you to cover on Drive through. Get Gina to back you up.” She turned to Philip. “You’re going to have to run double duty on the grill. Complimentary drink upgrade to anyone waiting over five minutes.” He nodded to her. She looked at Daniel. “Let’s go.”

The pair made their way outside. Daniel motioned Riley to follow. “Sorry about the confusion back there.” He said as they moved around to the side of the building, out of earshot of everyone.

Buffy stepped over and pulled Daniel’s arms around her and grinned happily at Riley. He looked at the pair a moment and was shocked. For the first time since he could remember, Buffy looked genuinely happy. The man behind her looked, for all intents and purposes, normal. She was content with her mundane job, and her, at first glance, boring life. He suddenly felt bad for approaching her. He shook his head. “I shouldn’t have come here.” He said, backing away.

“No, wait,” Daniel said to him. “It’s not what you think.” He could see the conflict in Riley’s eyes. The man deserved to know the truth.

“Who are you, anyway?” Riley asked him. “Didn’t I go to college with you?”

“Yeah. I was in the Psychology Class with Professor Walsh before she passed away. You were the TA.” He offered his hand. “Daniel.”

“Riley. Buffy knows me. I’m part of the Initiative.” He said, somewhat flustered.

“Initiative, The. Formerly the Demon Research Initiative founded circa 1942 by Commander Douglas Petrie and Dr. Reginald Fury. Established for the intent of collection and study of any and all supernatural elements for the purpose of understanding and weaponization. Became known simply as ‘The Initiative’ circa April 27th, 1986, after the Chernobyl disaster was officially declared as having been caused by some here-to-for unknown species of biologic organism.”

Riley stared at her. “How did you know that?” He asked her.

“I can access the internet. Willow installed a hacking program that will allow me to access specific government databases.” Buffy said, smiling. “I’m more useful now.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Riley asked, shaking his head.

“It’s gonna be kinda hard to explain,” Daniel said. He looked down at Buffy and touched her stomach. “Can I show him?”

She looked up at him and nodded. Daniel lifted Buffy’s shirt and slowly peeled back the flesh on her stomach. “She’s an android,” Daniel said. “This isn’t the Buffy you knew.”

“What the…?” Riley knelt and looked at the internal systems. “This is…this is the most advanced robotics I’ve ever seen.” He stood and looked at her. “Is she…is it artificial intelligence?”

Daniel shook his head. He resecured the panel and lowered her shirt. “Nope. From what Willow says, it’s actually a combination of biomechanics and nanotechnology. She can learn, she can feel.” He dug his fingers lightly into her side, causing her to giggle. “She’s as human as she can possibly be, except she’s a robot.” He hugged her tightly. “And she’s my fiancé.”

“So…what happened to the real… _other_ Buffy?” Riley asked.

“She died,” Buffybot said. “She sacrificed herself to save the world.”

Riley found himself smiling. “That sounds like Buffy alright.”

“So what did you need to speak with me about?” Buffybot asked him.

“I’m sorry. I’ve just been up for the past forty-eight hours tracking something bad and now it’s come to Sunnydale.”

“I can’t come with you,” Buffybot said. “I have to make next week’s schedule.”

Daniel pulled a small spiral notebook out of his pocket. “Look.” He said, jotting down an address. “Go here. There’s someone there that can help you.”

Riley looked at the address. It was Buffy’s old house. “Who can…?”

“Just trust me,” Daniel said. “You need a big gun. It doesn’t come any bigger than her.”

“Fair enough.” He looked at Daniel. “Okay, this is gonna sound like a really crappy thing to say, but…why you?”

Daniel, for his part actually chuckled. “Ain’t a day goes by, I don’t ask the same question.”

“I love him,” Buffybot said, simply. “He treats me nice, says nice things to me and is really good in bed.”

Riley actually laughed. “Sounds like love to me. But isn’t her being a robot a bit…”

“Strange?” Daniel asked. As Riley nodded he shrugged. “Hold her hand.” Riley did as he said. “Feel that? She’s warm to the touch. She has a pulse. You can hear her heartbeat if you listen to her chest. The only thing that matters to me is the person she is. Not what she’s made of.” He kissed her passionately. “If that makes me wrong, I don’t wanna be right.”

“That  _definitely_  sounds like love to me,” Riley said, smiling. “I’m happy for the both of you.” He said. “It was nice meeting you, Daniel.”

“My pleasure. Maybe after you get all this settled, we can sit down and talk again.”

“Looking forward to it.” Riley offered. “It was good to see you again, Buffy.”

“I’m sure you meant a lot to her, Riley,” Buffybot said, somewhat sadly. “When this is over, we can show you where she was buried.”

“I’d like that.” He said, nodding. “See you later.” He turned and trotted off into the night.

“Nice guy,” Daniel said.

“Not as cute as you,” Buffybot said. “Now we have to get back to work.” She took his hand and pulled him back inside.

Dawn sat on the sofa watching television. She physically started as she heard the thumping on the front door. “I got it!” She shouted as she rose to her feet and padded over. She pulled the door open and was dumbstruck as she saw him standing there.

“Hey, Dawn.” He said, smiling. “Long time no see.” It was the last thing he said before the teen’s fist caught him in the face with enough force to knock him to the ground. He shook the cobwebs from his vision and looked up at her. She stood, fuming. “I guess I deserved that.” He said, rising to his feet.

“That’s for breaking my sister’s heart, you son of a bitch,” Dawn said. “You’re lucky that’s all I do to you. Now, what are you doing here?”

“Who you talkin’ to, little D?” Faith asked as she stepped out of the kitchen. “Oh…”

“Shit,” Riley said, staring at the slayer.

 


	56. Chapter 56

Faith and Riley stared at each other a moment. Suddenly Faith surged forward and planted a boot into the boy’s chest, throwing him backward off the porch to slam into the grass. He was left dazed, blinking the cobwebs away. “That’s for rippin’ B’s fuckin’ heart from her chest, you son of a bitch.”

He rolled onto his hands and knees and dry heaved for a moment. “God damn.” He said, shaking his head. “Never let it be said that you hit like a girl.” He got to his feet. “Dawn already got a shot in for Buffy.”

“That was little D.” Faith said, crossing her arms, mimicking the younger Summers. “This is me. She loved you, man. She genuinely loved you and you fuckin’ bailed on her. You’re lucky I don’t paint the town red.”

“I suppose I deserve that,” Riley said, stepping back up to the porch. “And if you wanna crucify me later, that’s fine. But right now, we’ve got a serious problem and I need your help.”

“Why should I?” Faith asked. “You’re Mr. Soldier Boy. Don’t you guys got all the cool toys?”

“The best technology money can buy,” Riley said, simply. “But we don’t have you. We don’t have a slayer.”

“What are you looking for?” Faith asked, the tone of her voice a bit more reasonable.

“Suvolte demon. Rare, lethal…nearly extinct, but not nearly enough.”

Faith stepped aside and let him in. “Wait here. I’ll get my gear.” She turned and headed upstairs.

Riley stood in the living room looking around. He then regarded Dawn. “Where’s your mother?”

“The aneurysm killed her,” Dawn said, stiffly. “She died about two months after you left.”

“God, Dawn. I’m sorry.” He said. “I know, that seems kind of trite but…I can’t imagine what you must be going through. Her and Buffy both? I don’t think I could have handled it as well as you did.”

Dawn fell to the sofa. “I deal.” The teen said. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Why did I leave?” He asked her. As Dawn nodded, he moved to answer.

“I was kind of wondering that myself,” Willow said from the entrance to the kitchen. Tara stood beside her, staring at him with a soft smile. He was glad to see that at least someone wasn’t pissed off at him.

“Hey Willow. Hi, Tara.” He said. “I suppose I owe someone an explanation.” He sat down and lowered his head. “I loved her. I still do. Part of me always will. I wish it weren’t true, I really do, but…”

“You’re a romantic.” Faith said from the stairs. “A hopeless, fool-ass romantic.” She came down wearing her cargo pants, heavy black boots, a long sleeve black shirt, her body armor and assault vest. “When you find someone, you wanna be the be all and end all of their world. And you want them to be the be all and end all of yours. You were willing to be that for Buffy.” She shook her head. “But she couldn’t do that for you. Not the way she could for Angel or Spike.” She walked over and tapped his forehead. “Because right here, you couldn’t wrap your head around that fact that no matter how much of a badass you became, you’d still have to take second place to the cause. That’s what being a slayer is. Angel understood that. Spike did too, after a fashion. But you couldn’t get it. Either you didn’t want to, or you just couldn’t. That’s why you had to leave.”

“You knew?” He asked her.

“Oh, I’ve known for quite some time, pal.” Faith said, grinning. “You forget who was ridin’ around in B’s skin a couple years back? I learned a hell of a lot about you that night.”

“See, now I wanna hit you pretty damn hard,” Riley said.

“Go for it. Been hit harder by…” Faith looked around and settled on Dawn. “Her.” Riley turned a little red at that. “Relax, Duke. It’s nothin’ bad. B wasn’t right for you and you weren’t right for her. It never would have worked. She needed someone to understand that life, the slayer life, was constantly gonna get in the way. Someone who can handle the long nights with no phone calls and wondering if their baby is gonna come back to them.” She shook her head. “You weren’t that person. You never could have been. You dabble in the life, sure, but you aren’t a part of it. For you, it’s nine to five. You can go home, hang up your guns and your fancy gear and be Riley Finn, corn-fed Iowa boy.” Faith shook her head, again. “Buffy coulda never done that. She and I are a lot alike. Slayers to the core. We’re warriors for good first, people second. You wouldn’t have been able to live with that. No matter how hard you tried, you wouldn’t have gotten it. If you could have, you’d never have left. Because I’m betting money that Buffy has been on your mind every single day since you left.”

He nodded. “I’m married, now.” He said, out of the blue. “She’s a good woman. And she helped me through a lot.”

“Well, right now she ain’t helpin’ you through shit.” Faith said. “Come on. Let’s go find this demon of yours so you can go back to your boring ass life and leave us to ours.” She turned and headed into the kitchen.

“When you get done with this, come back,” Dawn said. “And bring your wife. I wanna meet the woman that finally attained the unattainable.”

He sighed and moved to leave. He paused and turned back. “You can all believe this or not, but it was nice seeing you all again.” He said, before following Faith out into the garage. “Wow. They were pissed.”

“Can you blame them?” Faith asked, opening the door to the Roadrunner.

“This is yours?” He asked as she unlocked the passenger side so he could get in.

“Yup. She’s my baby.” She tapped the garage door opener and fired the car up. She revved it, smiling. She backed out onto the street, hitting the button again. “Any idea where to look?”

He pulled out what looked like a cell phone. “I’ll be able to find him with this.” He said, staring at the screen.

“So where did you meet Mrs. Riley Finn?”

“Her name is Sam.” He said. “We met on an op. We’ve been tear-assing through jungles from Paraguay on up taking out nests. Every time we put one Suvolte down, a dozen take its place. They’re breeders, Faith. One becomes ten, ten becomes a hundred. This gets out of hand and there’s a war with humans, humans are gonna lose.”

“So they’re like, Tribbles on steroids?” Faith asked. He turned to regard her with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry. We’ve been dealing with geeks a lot…you know what? Forget it.” She stopped the car. “Would that be him?” She asked, pointing to the huge hideous monster trashing the promenade.

“That would be him. Shall we?” He asked.

“Gimme a sec.” Faith said, moving around to the trunk of the car. She popped it open and pulled her custom knife and sword harness out. She secured it and nodded. “Let’s do this.” She said to him.

Riley quickly lifted a badge. “National Forestry Service, we got a wild bear! Everybody stand back!” He pushed a pedestrian aside. “Look out!” He shouted, quickly. The demon slashed at him, tearing a deep gash in his arm.

Faith pulled her sword from her back and lunged at the demon. The beast lifted his hand to block the strike. The blade sliced through it and pinned it to his chest. The beast let out a shriek and clubbed the slayer across the side of the head. Faith’s face was rocked sideways. She staggered back, tripping over Riley. The demon growled and ran off down the alleyway.

“Shit.” Faith said, kicking herself to her feet. She reached down and lifted Riley from the ground. “You alright?”

“Yeah.” He said, looking at his arm. “It’s not bad.”

“Son of a bitch.” Faith said, looking around. “Motherfucker stole my sword. I liked that sword.”

“You had another one in the trunk of your car,” Riley said.

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me. I need to get that to Giles. I took it from a demon. I wanna make sure it’s not one of those ‘takes you over and makes you kill people’ kind of things.” Faith said. “Let’s go find him and get my sword back.”

The pair made their way into the alley, careful to keep an eye out. Suddenly Faith’s sword came flying out of the darkness toward Riley. He ducked as the blade flipped past him. Faith snatched it from the air. “Thanks.” She said as the demon came roaring out of the shadows. “Tough SOB isn’t he?”

Riley quickly pulled his rifle and fired a shot. The dart smacked into the demon’s chest. It snarled and flailed. Faith ran forward, ducking below the flailing limbs. She struck with her sword, taking one of the beast’s arms off at the elbow. It struck with its other hand, clubbing her across the back of the shoulders. She was slammed into the wall. The Suvolte turned and leapt up onto a building and ran off into the night.

Without thinking, Faith took two steps and followed suit, making the roof in a single leap.

“Faith, wait!” Riley shouted, but the slayer was already gone. He sighed and turned, trotting back to his own rig. He knew he’d landed a solid shot with a GPS tracking dart. He could follow along behind and keep tabs.

Faith ran along behind the beast. They leapt from rooftop to rooftop. The monster jumped off of a parking structure, landing on top of a bus. Faith hit the roof in a crouch behind him. “Miss me?” She asked as the demon turned. She spun her blade and went at him. He ducked beneath her swing and slashed across her sword arm with his claws. Bloody furrows were carved into her skin. The blade of the sword slammed into the top of the bus. The demon struck again, backhanding Faith from the vehicle. She flew and impacted onto the hood of an old Dodge truck.

The pickup pulled off the road and the driver climbed out. “Are you okay?” He asked her as she rolled off the hood.

She dusted herself off and looked that retreating bus. “No.” She said, turning to walk back to her car. “I lost my fuckin’ sword again.”

The driver shook his head, looked at the slight dent in his hood and shrugged. He got back in and started off.

Faith made it about a hundred feet when a black GMC Yukon with a push bumper, lined with KC lights pulled to a stop. Riley leaned out of the driver’s side window. “Need a lift?”

She climbed into the passenger side. “Nice wheels.” She said, flipping on the dome light and looking at her arm.

“Came with the car.” He said, smiling. “You alright?”

“Yeah. I’ll be right as rain in a few hours.” She looked over at his arm. “You?”

“I’ll heal.” He said. He flipped off the dome light. “Thanks for doing this with me. There’s not a lot of people I’d ask to risk their lives for me.”

She shrugged. The pair were silent for several moments. “Look…” She said, finally. “I wanna…I wanna apologize.” She looked at him. “When I was…when I was her, I did some shit, said some things that I’m not proud of.” She looked out the window. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry if anything I did or said hurt you.”

Riley was shocked. From what he’d been given to understand about Faith, she wasn’t the kind of person to apologize for anything. He reached his hand over and offered it to her. “Riley Finn. Special Army Operative tasked with the location and termination of Hostile Supernatural Entities.” He said, giving her a smile. “I don’t think we were properly introduced.”

She stared at him a second. “Faith Lehane. Ex-convict. Slayer. Please to finally meet you.”

“I’m not gonna sit here and say that that night was  _all_  bad,” Riley said, giving her a smirk.

“I could tell, you know.” Faith said. “I could tell you loved her. She loved you, too.”

“I was wrong to leave the way I did. I gave her the ultimatum. Show me a reason to stay.” He shook his head. “I didn’t realize that she was showing it to me all along. I was just too stupid to see it.”

“No.” Faith said, shaking her own head. “No, leaving was the right choice for both of you. People like us, slayers I mean. People like us don’t have a lot of options as far as love goes. We have to take what we can get. Me? I guess I got lucky. I won the lottery. I got Tara and Willow to share my nights with and…”

“Wait. Tara  _and_  Willow. You’re dating both of them?”

“Yeah. And it’s awesome. Tara’s the most understanding woman in the world and Red is, well, Red. But she’s cute as hell and I love her. I love ‘em both. But you and B never would have worked. No matter how hard you’d have tried. You need someone that can be what you are in all aspects of your life. Buffy can be that, but only as long as you’ve got on the Agent Riley Finn pants. Once you take that away, you can be normal. Slayers can’t.”

“I know. I think maybe a part of me knew that and was just looking for an excuse to get away. I was afraid of being hurt somewhere down the line. Sad as it is to say, slayers, live on borrowed time.”

“Yeah, we do.” Faith said. “That’s why there is a small part of me that wants to pull up stakes and move out of the house. Get my own little place and break it off with T-bear and Red. I’ve confessed as much to them. They both assure me that they understand that the duties of a slayer has to come first.”

“It would have been hard to deal with,” Riley said. “I suppose you’re right.” He looked at the GPS on his dashboard. “He’s moving at a hell of a clip.”

“He’s on top of a bus.” Faith said. “Not sure where the bus was heading.”

“So what happened to you after you left Sunnydale?” He asked her.

“Bad shit.” She offered. “Went to Los Angeles…” She regaled Riley with that happened in LA. How she tried to kill Angel and how he did his best to save her. “He never gave up on me. I spent a year and change in prison.”

“Why’d you stay?”

“Because I needed to be there. I was dangerous and needed time to sort everything out. Watcher’s Council sprung me after B died. I’ve been doin’ my best to stay on the straight and narrow ever since.”

“Buffy would have been proud of you,” Riley said, softly.

“I’m sure she is.” Faith said. She pulled her phone out as they pair left Sunnydale. She called her house and let Tara and Willow know that she and Riley were tracking down a Suvolte Demon. The two witches said they’d get together with Giles and see what they could find out that might be of some importance. “The girls are gonna see if they can narrow anything down about this beast. They’ll hit us up if they find anything.”

They drove for over an hour and a half. “He’s getting off the road,” Riley said.

Faith sighed heavily. “Giles is gonna be so pissed at me.”

“Why?” Riley asked.

“I lost my sword.” Faith said. “I really, really liked that sword, too.”

“You get used to lost gear in this business,” Riley said, pulling to a stop. He pulled out his sensor and began walking.

“I don’t see our boy.” Faith said, looking around. “He can’t go invisible like the predator or anything can he?”

“God, I hope not,” Riley said. “They haven’t shown that ability so far.” He looked at her. “Stop suggesting things.”

“Sorry. I just don’t like fighting with things I don’t know much about. Got my ass kicked way too many times doing that.”

“I hear you.” They moved along in the darkness. They slipped quietly between several low-slung buildings. Riley nodded and moved to a chain link fence.

“Let me guess.” Faith said, looking over the edge. Hundreds of feet below, water splashed as it rolled through the rough uncut stone walls. A platform could be seen in the dimness at the bottom. “He’s down there, isn’t he?”

“Looks like,” Riley said, fiddling with his pack.

“Fuck, I hate heights.” Faith said, softly. “So, Mr. Finn, what’s the plan?”

“Looks like we go down the old fashioned way.” He said, pulling a line from his belt. “We’ll have to share.” He attached one end of the line to the fence. “This test line’s built for one, so if we go together, we’re not hauling any gear. Just be you and me.”

Faith looked over and saw the surrounding framework for the elevator. “Nope. You repel, Sarge.” Faith said. “I got a ride.” She ran over to the metal frame. She leapt and grabbed onto the steel and began dropping down quickly.

He chuckled and jumped over the fence and lowered himself down. They made the platform nearly at the same time. A low stone wall sat at the outer edge of the foyer. They slowly made their way along the landing, ducking past a large pipe with a small trickle of water coming out. Past it, the stone ledge opened out into a wider space with a ladder at one wall.

Riley was a few steps ahead of Faith and moved past an open doorway. With a sudden violent snarl, the Suvolte leapt out at him, nearly knocking him to the ground. Riley spun, tossing the beast back a step.

The demon reached for him but missed. He drilled the creature in the gut and landed a hard right cross to the massive face, but earned a firm blow to the stomach, doubling him over.

Faith took a step and put a hard boot into the monster’s abdomen. Sending it reeling backward. Riley shot back in, punching the demon in the face. Faith lifted her foot, looking to drive it down onto the monster’s knee. The Suvolte moved back as the slayer’s foot came down, slamming onto the concrete with enough force to cause the landing to shudder. The demon caught her across the teeth with a hard backhand. Faith spun with the blow, executing a hard reverse heel kick that lifted the demon and spun it to the stone, dazed.

She turned and rested a hand on his back. “You okay, studly?”

He looked at her, trying to catch his breath. He gave her a soft smile.

The sound of footsteps on the platform caught Faith’s attention. She saw a tall slender woman with dark hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had a rather cheerful looking face with laugh lines around her mouth and eyes. She pulled the repelling line from her belt and looked at the pair of them. “Hey.” She said, smiling. “Hey there.” She said, to Riley with affection in her face and tone. She then turned to Faith. “What exactly are you doing with my husband?”

Faith grinned widely at her. “A whole lot less than I’d be willing to do with you.”

She chuckled and moved over, standing face to face with Faith. Out of the blue, she reached down and placed her hand at the apex of Faith’s legs, giving a gentle squeeze. “Yeah, sorry, sweetie. You’re way too light in the trousers for my liking.”

Faith belted out a solid laugh. She turned to Riley. His eyes were wide with shock. “Hot damn. I like her.” She said. “I’m Faith.”

“Sam.” The woman said, offering her hand.

“Demon.” Faith pointed to the beast.

“Mine,” Sam said, charging in. She began wailing on the demon, pounding him rotten.

Faith crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, watching. “She’s good. Nice moves. Love the way her ass looks in those leggings.” She grimaced as the woman gave a reverse spin kick to the demon’s giant head. “Ooh, that’s gonna bruise.”

Riley sighed, staring at her. “She’s a special one.”

Faith chuckled. “Jesus. You got it bad.” She said. “How long you two been hitched?”

“Four months almost.” He offered.

“Mazel Tov. Any kids in the near future?” She asked him.

“None yet. We’ve talked about it.” Riley said.

“You guys do this often? The whole husband-and-wife tag-team demon fighting action?”

He nodded. “Yeah. It’s what brought us together. I almost feel sorry for the Suvolte.” He said, whimsically. The demon finally caught her with a hard shot that put her to the concrete. “But not quite.” He rushed forward, pulling what looked to be some sort of fancy cattle prod. He began tagging the demon with the rod, zapping it repeatedly, but the beast refused to go down.

Faith watched the pair of them and chuckled. They were beating the hell out of the thing but didn’t seem to be making much headway. “Time to end amateur hour and put this son of a bitch down.” She said. She pulled both of her Bowies and held them inverted in her hands. She nodded and broke into a run. She jumped as she got close, vaulting over the pair as they fought the monster. She twisted in the air and buried her blades to the hilt in the demon’s skull as she came down. The creature shuddered once and fell to the ground, dead.

“Mission accomplished.” Faith said, wiping her blades.

Riley sighed heavily. “She killed it.” He knelt beside the beast.

“Oh, honey.” She rubbed his back. “That’s okay.”

“Isn’t that kind of what we do with demons?” Faith said. “Well, dangerous ones at any rate.”

Riley stared at Sam nervously.

“You guys have been tracking this thing for two days. You…did want it dead, right?”

“Let me guess. Captain Can-Do over here,” Sam said, patting Riley on the shoulder. “Forgot to mention that this was a homing operation.”

“Yeah. Neglected to mention that part.” Faith said. “But in his defense, I should have put it together when you were trying to put his ass out with cattle prods.” She took one. “Word to the wise.” She jammed the prod into her ribs. It jolted her a bit but didn’t do much beyond that. “If this thing doesn’t do shit to me, it’s not gonna do much to something like that.” She handed it back to Sam.

“I’ll remember that.” She said. She looked down at it and sighed, slinging it. “Riley mentioned you,” Sam said. “Said some rather unsavory things about you.”

“Go ahead.” Faith said, tapping her cheek. “Get your shot in. It’ll make you feel better.”

“Why?” Sam offered, looking at Riley. “Sweetie, stand up.” He rose and dusted his knees off. She took his shoulder and turned him around. “Come on. Look at that ass. What woman wouldn’t want a piece of that?”

Faith laughed at his look of embarrassment. “God, damn, I like you. And yeah, he was good, even back in college.”

“Oh, I know it. He wears me out. Boy’s got stamina.”

“See, you and Buffy would  _so_  not being having  _this_  kind of conversation right now,” Riley said, somewhat dejectedly.

“No. But this is way more fun.” Faith said.

Sam nodded her agreement. She moved over and knelt beside the demon. “Knife.”

Faith pulled one of hers, flipped it over and offered it to the woman. “There you are.”

“Now that’s a knife,” Sam said. She sliced the demon’s stomach open and began sifting through the mess.

“That’s…gross as shit.” Faith said. She looked at Riley. “What’s a homing operation?”

Riley shook his head. “It’s my fault. I should have explained.”

“Would have helped a bit, yeah.” Faith said, doing her best not to look at the ersatz autopsy that Sam was conducting.

“Damn,” Sam said, cleaning the blade. “We’re too late.” She looked at Riley. “Finn… how could you recruit the slayer without filling her in on the objective?”

“Legit question.” Faith said, taking the knife back.

Sam gave him a mock angry look. “If we weren’t under severe time constraints I’d seriously think about ripping you a new one.”

Riley gave her a smirk. “Stand down, soldier.”

“He’s the boss?” Faith asked.

She chuckled. “Oh, he wishes. We better regroup. Faith, I hate to impose further, but… you got a safe house?”

“Yeah, you guys can use our crib. We even got a guest room if you two need a place to crash while you’re in town.”

“That would be nice,” Sam said. “I need a shower.”

“I need a ride back to my car.” Faith said.

The trio made their way up through the dam to the spot where the car was parked. “This belong to you?” Sam asked as she pulled a well-made sword out of the trunk of the small beat up two door sedan.

“How did you find it?” Faith asked, taking the blade.

“Bus driver I ran into in the town a few miles from here said it was stuck in the roof. He thought I was military and handed it over. When Riley said he was going to get the slayer, I just kinda put two and two together.”

Faith pulled the woman in and hugged her. “Thank you so much.” They left the beater and piled into the GMC.

Faith and Sam talked the whole way back to town. Riley couldn’t help but turn red as Sam shared some rather embarrassing moments. Faith found that she really liked the woman. She was just the kind of girl Riley needed.

They made it back to Faith’s car. It was parked just where she left it, completely undisturbed. Faith grinned as she felt a familiar tickle in the back of her head. She turned to see two cigarettes light up in the shadows. She gave a nod of her head and saw the lights move back into the darkness. She popped open the trunk and put her sword in. She then pulled out a large knife with a belt and sheath. “Here, Sam. Gift from one hunter to another.”

Sam took the blade and pulled it free. “Wow. This is nice. Cold Steel Recon Scout. Carbon steel blade, black finish.” She took a practice swing. “You sure?”

“Go for it.” Faith said, slamming the trunk lid. “I ain’t using it.” She motioned for the pair to follow. “Come on. Let’s get you someplace safe so you two can relax a little bit and get some food into you.”

“We do appreciate it,” Sam said, hugging her again.

Faith made sure to call the house to let them know that she was bringing company. She wanted to make sure it was all hands on deck.

 


	57. Chapter 57

 

Willow sat at the island watching Tara in front of the stove, cooking away. She sighed and couldn’t help the smile that was slowly approaching. “I love you, you know that?”

Tara turned away from the meat she was cooking and smiled at her girlfriend. “I know. I love you, too.” She said, before returning to her work.

“What are you making, anyway?” Willow asked her.

“Steak fajitas.” Tara offered. “We had that carne asada that Faith bought, but never got the chance to use. I figured it would something good and filling that everyone would like.”

Willow nodded. “Need help with anything?”

“If you’d like to slice the onions and peppers, I’d appreciate it.”

“I can do that.” Willow hopped off her stool and pulled open the fridge. She retrieved the red, yellow and green peppers. Due to her having practiced all sorts of magical spells, she quickly learned good knife skills. She made short work of all three of the peppers and slid them into a bowl. She then sliced the onion into strips and added it to the mixture. “Here you are.”

Tara smiled and kissed her on the lips. “Thank you.” She said. “Is the guest bedroom made up?”

Willow nodded. “Yeah. Buffybot actually did the laundry and got everything set up for the pair of them.”

Tara noted a bit of tension in Willow’s voice. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“What makes you think something is wrong?” Willow asked, sipping on a soda.

“I can hear it in your voice. You sounded a little upset.”

Willow sighed heavily. “Should have known I couldn’t hide it from you.” She said with a smile. “I’m just kind of upset with Riley. I mean, he broke Buffy’s heart a little over a year ago and now he’s back in town and he’s married. They loved each other so much and he just got over her and moved on without really taking any kind of time. It just ticks me off that someone like Buffy could be so easily forgotten. It isn’t fair.”

Tara smiled. Despite the dour nature of what Willow was saying, it was heartwarming that the girl would be mad at someone on behalf of her best friend. “Sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants. Despite the visual, they showed the rest of us, Buffy and Riley just weren’t meant to be. Just like you and Oz.” She hated bringing the werewolf up, but it was a sound comparison.

“Oz left because he had to, he…”

“But he came back,” Tara said, simply. “He left just before Thanksgiving and came back in May.” Tara pulled the pan from the stove and moved over to Willow. “That’s only six months, Will.” She took the girl’s hands. “And do you remember what we said to each other when you came to my room?” She didn’t wait for a response. “I told you that I understood and that you had to be with the person you love.” She interlaced her fingers with Willow’s. “You looked me in the eye, gave me that cute little smile…”

“And said that I was,” Willow said, softly. She moved forward and kissed Tara passionately.

“This is cute,” Dawn said, giggling.

The pair blushed and pulled away from each other. “You shouldn’t sneak up on witches like that,” Willow said. “Coulda turned you into a frog or something.”

“You already told me that transfiguration like that is really difficult,” Dawn said, grabbing a soda from the fridge.

“What are you doing up, sweetie?” Tara asked. “It’s past one in the morning.”

“Yeah, but it’s Saturday morning. I always stay up late on Friday night. It’s my weekend.” She sat on the stool. “What were you guys talking about?”

“I’m not sure how to feel about Riley’s new wife.”

“Simple,” Dawn said. “Hate her.”

“That’s not fair, Dawn. She could be a really nice person.” Tara said, frowning at the teenager. “Just not liking her because she’s married to Riley isn’t a good enough reason.”

“He ripped my sister’s heart out and stomped on it. I don’t care if she pisses champagne, I’m not gonna like her for that reason alone.”

“Where did you learn to talk like that?” Willow asked.

“Cable,” Dawn said, shrugging. “Seriously, you guys have been to high school. You know what people say in the halls.”

The elder girls both conceded that. The squeal of the garage door and the rumble of a big block heralded Faiths’ arrival. A couple minutes later, Faith came into the kitchen from the attached garage with Riley and Sam directly behind her. “Sam. This is Dawn, Buffy’s little sister. This is Willow and Tara, the loves of my life.”

Sam moved to offer her hand to Dawn and quickly thought better of it. The look in the girl’s eyes and the stone set of her face made the woman reconsider. The woman did, however, reach over and take the block filled with knives off the island and put it on the counter. This actually made Dawn smile.

Faith chuckled. “Come on, she’s not gonna stab you.”

Sam stared at Dawn a moment longer. “I’m gonna hedge my bets. If looks could kill, my head would have exploded the second I walked into the room.”

“Little D, stop intimidating the hardcore monster killer.” Faith said, tapping Dawn in the back of the head.

“Why? It’s so much fun.” Dawn said, grinning.

Sam leaned over to Riley. “She’s scary.” She stepped up to Dawn. “I know you must hate me. I’m sorry about your sister. Riley…” She looked to her husband. “He talks about her a lot.” She turned back to Dawn. “I would have really liked to have met her.”

Dawn stared at the woman intently. “He left without a word. Nothing. No goodbyes, no see you later, nothing.” She shook her head. “Friends who care don’t do that.”

Riley nodded. “No, they don’t.” He looked at the girls. “I’m sorry. I should have said something.”

“Forget it.” Faith said. “You split. You came back. You’re just showing everyone a taste of what being a slayer is all about.” She looked at Dawn. “Sometimes that’s the way it happens. Gone. No goodbye. No, see you later. Just gone. It wasn’t his fault. He and B were on the rocks and it ended. Nothing to do about it now.”

“Where is everyone?” Riley asked. “We gotta get down to…”

“No,” Tara said, dishing up plates. “First thing you two have to do is eat something. Then you need showers and a few hours sleep.”

Sam nodded and immediately stepped over to help. “We do appreciate you guys taking us in like this.”

Willow watched the woman and sighed. “So you two have been married for…”

“Four months,” Riley said. “I just want you to understand something, Willow. I didn’t just leave here and stop thinking about all of you. It wasn’t that easy. I missed you all. It’s just where I was I…”

“We’ve been out of communication with everyone for weeks,” Sam said as she handed a plate stacked with fajitas to Riley. “Here, sweetie.” She said to him, earning a kiss. “After he left here, he had to go and be debriefed by Washington about the Initiative and his part in it. That took almost a month. Psych tests, memory tests, and physical monitoring until they could determine that the poison Walsh was giving him had properly metabolized. After that, it was an eight-week refresher of boot.” She shook her head. “When all was said and done, it was three months before he even saw the outside world again. Then it was a forty-eight our liberty, that Battlestar here slept away, before being deployed in South America. That’s when we met.”

Faith grinned at the story. “Serious bonus points for the gratuitous obscure Marvel Comics reference.”

“I love comic books.” She said. “But we just haven’t really been able to communicate much with anyone. The military keeps us pretty busy. I have a brother in New Jersey that I haven’t spoken to in two years.”

Dawn’s expression softened a bit. “It just would have been nice to have some kind of…  _something_.”

“I know,” Riley said, stepping up to the girl. “And you’re right. No matter how bitter I might have been at the time, that was no reason to not say goodbye.” He pulled her in and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Dawn.”

She hugged him back. “I’ll let it go this time. But don’t do it again.”

Sam leaned against the counter, eating the food. “This is really good.” She said, between bites.

Willow and Faith both stepped over and hugged the blonde. “Our girl definitely knows how to cook.” Faith offered.

“Which is a good thing because I can’t,” Willow said. “I ate a lot of sandwiches when I was younger.”

Sam nodded. “Lotta pop tarts, toaster waffles, and TV dinners. I can’t cook either.” She thumbed toward Riley. “The few times we’ve been someplace that had something other than MRE’s and canned food, he’s been the chef.”

“I was raised on a farm and taught to cook by my mom,” Riley said, polishing off his meal. “That was wonderful, Tara.” He hugged her. “Thanks.”

She gave him a blushing smile. “Thank you.”

“So where is everyone, again?” Riley asked, looking around.

“Buffybot and Daniel are downstairs asleep,” Willow said.

“Wait a minute. Buffy’s a robot, why does she need to sleep?” Riley asked.

“She needs to recharge.” Faith said. “We installed a wireless recharging station. She has to be within ten feet of it to re-up. She powers down while she needs to fill up.”

“That’s still just weird to me,” Sam said. “You have a robot that looks and sounds exactly like Buffy, yet she’s not.” She shook her head. “Very bizarre.”

“Please,” Dawn said, finishing her soda. “That doesn’t even make our top five.” She jumped off the stool and gave Sam another once over. “You know…Buffy probably would have liked you.” She looked to Faith, Tara, and Willow. “I’m going to bed.” She trotted out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

“She’s grown,” Riley said, taking a seat. “And still a little bitter.”

“Can you blame her?” Willow asked. “She really liked you. You were like an older brother to her. When you left, she took it hard.”

“You were loved here, Riley,” Tara said. “We all understand that you had obligations just like Buffy did. But we were all still very hurt when you disappeared without a word.”

“You’re right. I should have at least written.” He said. “If nothing else to tell you about Sam.”

“It wasn’t intentional,” Sam said. “And despite what it may look like, we didn’t show up out of the blue just to rub your noses in our marriage.”

“Oh, we know that sweetie,” Tara said, resting a hand on Sam’s arm. “You’re here on business. We understand that.”

“We really should get down to business,” Riley said, sharply. “We don’t have a lot of time.”

“Whatever it is, it can keep for a few hours.” Faith said. “You two look like hell. And you said when you first came over that you’d been up for forty-eight hours straight. Neither of you is a slayer and even I top out at seventy-two hours.” She took the plates and put them in the sink. “Come on. You two are getting some sleep. Doctor’s orders.”

“We could use a few hours, baby,” Sam said. “And I don’t think this lot is going to take no for an answer.”

All three of them stared firmly at the pair. “Resolve face,” Willow said, pointing at their expressions.

“I remember ‘resolve face’,” Riley said. “I suppose showers and some shut-eye wouldn’t go wrong right now. Thanks for the meal, Tara. It was really good.”

“You’re welcome,” Tara said. “It was nice meeting you, Sam.”

“You, too.” The woman said, taking the blonde’s hand again.

“Come on, folks. I show you where you can crash.” Faith said, heading upstairs. “It’s got a three-quarters bath, so you won’t be disturbed in the night.”

“Use to be you only had the bathroom downstairs, the three-quarters master and the full in the hallway.”

“Warren, the guy we’re dealing with now did something that allowed him to hack into Buffybot and take her over. He sent her after Red and little D. She smashed the place up pretty bad. Took a week to get everything put back together. Xander and some of the guys from the construction site came over and pretty much redid the house. Added three-quarters baths to all the rooms. Even put in a full bath with a Jacuzzi tub in the master bedroom.”

“Nice. Xander was always really good at that sort of thing.”

“He’s actually a supervisor at the site we work at.” Faith said, leading up to the room.

“You work in construction?” Sam asked. “How’s that working out?”

“Oh, I love it. They call me ‘Forklift Faith’. I save the site tons of money on hardware rentals. That and it’s a great workout. I keep in shape and get paid damn good money doing it.”

“Good deal,” Sam said. “See? Women can do anything men can do.”

“Anything you can do, I can do better.” Faith said.

“I can anything better than you,” Sam added. The pair giggled as Faith pushed the door open to the room.

“There are a couple of robes on the back of the door in the bathroom.” Faith said, pointing. “Do either of you guys have anything to change into?”

“No. We didn’t really get much time to pack.” Riley said.

“That’s alright.” Faith said. “Go ahead and tuck in for the night. We’ll find you something to wear.”

“Thanks, Faith,” Sam said, happily.

She nodded and closed the door. Riley looked around the room. It was relatively bare. A nice double bed rested against the wall, with a nightstand to either side. A dresser sat on the opposite side of the room from the bed with a CD player radio resting on the top. “It’s not bad.” He said, nodding. “We’ve stayed in worse.”

Without warning, the radio snapped on.  _She’s Got the Look_  by Roxette suddenly belted out of the stereo before it powered off.

Sam looked around the room, curious. “Um…what was that?”

Riley shook his head. “I don’t really know.” He smiled down at his wife. “But I like the song.”

Come morning, Faith was the first one awake. She was at the stove cooking off bacon and sausage for breakfast when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. She turned to see Sam, dressed in a pair of jeans and a simple black t-shirt. She smiled at Faith, getting a like grin back. “How’d you sleep?” Faith asked her.

“Pretty good.” The woman said, looking around the kitchen. “You guys have a coffee maker?”

“Yeah. Have a seat I’ll get you a cup.” Faith offered, reaching up into the cupboard and pulling down a mug. “How do you take it?”

“Straight up,” Sam said taking a seat on the stool. She nodded as Faith poured the cup and set it in front of her. “Thanks for the threads.”

“No problem.” Faith said, going back to cooking.

“Something really strange happened in our room last night when we got in there.”

“Let me guess. Radio turned on and played something rather poignant?” Faith asked.

Sam furrowed her brow and nodded. “ _She’s Got the Look_  by Roxette.”

Faith nodded her approval. “Nice choice, B.” Faith said.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m betting that’s Buffy’s way of saying she approves of you and Riley. Otherwise, it would have been something like  _Girlfriend_  by Avril Lavigne or if she was  _really_  pissed off you would have gotten something along the lines of  _You Oughta Know_  by Alanis Morissette.”

“I thought she was dead,” Sam said. “You mean she’s…a ghost?”

“Not really. She’s in heaven, we know that. That was her gift for being what she was. If I do shit right and make up for what I’ve done, I might get the same thing. But every once in a while she checks in on us. Just reminding us all that she’s still kinda lookin’ out.” Faith said. “It’s sorta nice, to be honest.”

Sam was a little weirded out, but she couldn’t deny that, on the off chance she did have Buffy’s approval, it did make her feel a little better. “That’s a plus, I suppose.” She said, looking around the kitchen.

“How do you like your eggs?” Faith asked as she piled the last of the bacon and sausage onto a plate. “As the early bird, you get preference.”

“Scrambled, please.”

“You got it.” Faith said. “Your hubby’s awake.”

Sam turned to the doorway. “How do you know?”

“Call it a hunch.” She said a moment before Riley came staggering down the stairs. She pulled another cup down and poured it full of coffee. She held it out as he came into the kitchen. “Coffee.”

He took it and smiled at her. “Thanks.” He said, taking a sip. “Oh, that’s good.” He moved to his wife. He gave her a kiss and sat down beside her. “Thanks for the clothes.” He said, looking down at the pair of sweats and t-shirt similar to his wife’s. “Something smells good.”

“Yeah, no problem. Just finishing off the eggs. Be done in a few minutes. Heard you guys had a visitor last night.”

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“The radio?” Sam looked at him. “Faith said that it was more than likely Buffy paying us a visit.”

“She’s a ghost?” He asked, somewhat unnerved.

“Not so much.” Faith said. “She just pops in every so often. Checkin’ things out. She obviously approves of the pair of you.”

Riley nodded. “If that was her, then yeah she does. She and I loved that song.”

“If she didn’t approve, it would have been something a lot angrier than Roxette.” Faith said.

Slowly, one by one, the rest of the house woke up and came wandering into the kitchen. They were all met with a cup of coffee, or juice in Dawn’s case, a plate of food and a smile. Tara and Willow both got good morning kisses.

Daniel and Buffybot even came up to join the party.

An hour later, Xander arrived with Giles in tow. “So, we’re told there’s some big brewin’ evil afoot.”

Riley and Sam both stood and addressed the room. “Faith already knows this. Sam and I have been tracking a Suvolte demon through Central America. Killing machine. Nearly mature.”

Sam nodded. “Yeah. Three months and growing fast.”

“Good Lord,” Giles said, pulling his glasses off. “Has it already found a place for its young?”

“We think so,” Sam said. “The one we found had already laid its eggs before Faith took it out.”

Faith bit her lip. “They were trying to follow it to its nesting ground.”

Riley patted her shoulder. “I didn’t tell her it was a homing op and not an execution. It’s my fault, not yours.”

“What exactly is a Suvolte demon?” Xander asked. “It sounds very much of the not good.”

“That’s one way of putting it. These things start to kill the minute they’re hatched. And leave a real clear trail.” Riley offered.

Sam offered a curt chuckle. “Yeah. Just follow the villages with nothing in them but body parts.”

Riley looked at his wife and then to Dawn. “Uh…Dawn, are you sure you wanna be around hearing all this?”

Sam looked at Dawn and to him. “Oh, come on, Finn, she looks all grown-up to me.” She looked to Faith. “That is if it’s all right with you.”

“Oh, don’t worry about half-pint. She’s already got a couple of kills to her credit. She’s cool.” Faith said, waving a dismissive hand.

That earned an appreciative smile from Dawn. Faith, according to Dawn’s memories was the only one that never really treated her like a little kid when everyone else did. “So, this demon shredded your guys, and now you’re looking for a little payback?” The teen asked.

Sam shook her head. “No. It came here to the Hellmouth to, to spawn.”

“So now they’re gonna hatch a bunch of…baby demon things?” Dawn asked.

“Unless we stop it,” Sam said, sadly. “We’ve wasted a lot of time already.” She looked around. “But we all needed the rest.”

“So we have to find the nest, and fast before Sunnydale turns into the Trouble Meat Palace,” Buffybot said. Everyone looked at her. She sighed. “I wish I’d said something else.”

Xander shrugged. “Okay, so we track down the demon, find the nest, Mr. and Mrs. Finn here make with the killin’, and everyone goes home happy.”

“Do we have a timetable on when they might hatch?” Giles asked.

“Hatching…isn’t the problem.” Riley began.

“We think they’re gonna be sold on the black market. There are some foreign military powers that would love to have their own Suvolte. You could never train it, but drop it on an urban population…”

“And it cleanses the area.” Riley finished.

“Is that a nice way of saying it kills people?” Dawn asked, looking a little perturbed.

“Lots of ‘em,” Sam said. “Money’s been exchanged. There’s a dealer in town, calls himself The Doctor. Willow, Tara? You think you can help with a little locating spell?”

The pair nodded. “We can do that,” Willow said. “We need some supplies.”

Faith stood. “Alright, Secret Agent Man. How do you wanna handle this?”

“Two teams. No civilians.” He looked to Buffybot. “Are you…battle tested?”

“I completely capable of laying down a respectable smack,” Buffybot said, happily.

He chuckled. “Alright.” He looked at Giles. “You know about this thing, obviously. Can you direct Willow and Tara on the magic end of things? Be a backup team with Xander in case we run into trouble?”

“Of course.” He said, nodding.

“Good. Faith with Sam. Buffybot with me.” He looked right at Daniel. “Don’t worry. I’ll bring her back safe.”

Daniel smiled. “I trust you.” He said, offering his hand.

“I made sure to wash your guys’ clothes last night,” Buffybot said, smiling. “So you can be clean and fresh when you sneak about in the darkness.”

“Let’s roll, everyone. Dawn, Daniel? You two got the home front.” Faith said. “And I wholly expect walnut brownies when we get home.”

“You got it,” Daniel said. “We may not be the elite, but without us, the elite don’t eat.”

“That’s a t-shirt,” Sam said, getting to her feet.

 


	58. Chapter 58

Faith climbed behind the wheel of the Roadrunner. Sam took shotgun. They backed out of the garage to see the big black Chevy pulling away. “Any idea where to look?” Sam asked. “This is your turf.”

“I got someone we can go see.” Faith said. “So how’d you and Riley actually meet, anyway?”

“I went down to Central America with the Peace Corps. One night, my entire infirmary got slaughtered by…” She shook her head. “I didn’t know what they were. I made it out, but barely. I quit the Corps that night. I joined up with the unit Riley was attached too. During our first firefight was when I met him.” She smiled happily. “We started talking, you know, first about tactics, missions, stuff like that. And then about Buffy.”

“I never really heard about how all that went down.” Faith said. “I was still in the joint at the time.”

“He didn’t say anything for a long time, but I could tell. He was ripped up inside.”

“But now he’s got you.” Faith said. She cast a look at Sam. “He’s a good dude. It really does hurt to remember what I did to him. If I could take it back, I would. You gotta believe that.”

“I do, Faith. He actually blames himself a lot for that, to be honest. He thinks he should have known.”

Faith sighed heavily. “I’m a pretty damn good actor.”

“I can tell you actually wanna do right by everyone now. I don’t know your story, but… I’ve seen people at their worst. I can see a lot of pain in your eyes over the things you’ve done.”

“I hurt a lot of people.” Faith said, keeping her eyes on the road. “Made a lot of mistakes. I’m getting my shit squared away, but it’s still hard sometimes.”

“The road to redemption is never easy,” Sam said.

“Trust me, I know.” Faith offered, dryly.

“So what is this about you, Willow and Tara?” Sam asked. “That’s a bit on the strange side.”

Faith chuckled and shrugged. “It just kinda…happened. Not real sure how. It was kind of sudden, to be honest. I just know that I love both of them and we’re all understanding enough that we don’t have to choose.”

“Sounds ideal,” Sam said.

“It has been so far. We’ve had little tiffs here and there, but nothing serious. The key is communication. We talk about everything and don’t keep secrets from each other. It’s worked out pretty well.”

“I’m not even sure I’d have the balls to try something like that.”

“It isn’t for everyone. We don’t hide it, but we don’t broadcast it either. Even in modern times, people are still judgmental as hell. We’d rather not deal with that kind of shit.”

They pulled up to the graveyard and to a stop. “What are we doing here?” Sam asked, looking around. “You plan on asking a vampire or something?”

“Or something.” Faith said. “Come on.” She led the woman through the headstones and mausoleums to a specific crypt. She rapped on the door. “Riley ever tell you about Spike?”

“Supposedly he’s a vampire that has a chip in his head, keeping him from harming humans,” Sam said.

“Right in one.” Faith said. The bolt on the door slid open.

Justine stood in a pair of shorts and a tank top. “Hey, Faith.” She said, smiling. “Christ. Willow and Tara ain’t enough for you, you had to get another one? Or is she for me?”

Faith laughed. “No, she’s a friend.”

Justine stepped aside to let the pair in and closed the door behind them. “What brings you to the land of the dead?” She asked, pulling a smoke from the pack on the table.

“Spike around?” Faith asked. “We need to talk to him.”

“Just a sec.” The girl said, taking another cigarette and lighting it. She stepped over to a curtained off area.

“Who is she?” Sam asked. “She a vampire?”

“Nope. She’s as human as it gets. She’s on loan from a friend in LA. She’s helping with a human problem. You remember me telling you about Warren?” As Sam nodded, Faith continued. “She’s here to deal with him. She’s pretty much just been beating the shit out him every time she sees him.”

“That’s a bit harsh,” Sam said.

“Fucker deserves it,” Justine said, coming back out from behind the curtain. “Justine.” She said, offering her hand.

“Sam.” The woman returned. “No offense, but why would Faith need you to deal with someone like Warren?”

“Two reasons,” Justine said, sitting on the sarcophagus. “One, this is kind of an audition for me. My boss in LA wants to make sure that I can deliver when it counts. Two, because I’m willing to go further than Faith here is. Faith is trying to stay in the light, so to speak. I don’t care how far into the darkness I have to go to get the job done. If I end up killing Warren, it won’t bug me any. Faith isn’t that kind of person anymore. More to the point, I don’t want her to be.”

“I got problems keeping my shit in check. Couple people died because I wasn’t in the right headspace.” Faith offered.

“So…murder doesn’t bother you?” Sam asked Justine.

“Not a lick. I don’t plan on killin’ the little shit, but I am gonna tune his ass up every time I see him. I’m just hopin’ he gets the message and gets the hell outta town before it comes to that point.” She then shrugged. “But it ain’t my fault if he’s too stupid to figure it out.”

“Sounds like a cop out to me,” Sam said, simply.

“Yeah, it does. But it is what it is.” Justine said, turning to Spike as he came out of the back with a pair of leather pants on and no shirt. “God, I never get tired of lookin’ at that.” The vampire was chiseled and lean. “This is Sam.” She said, motioning to the woman.

“I don’t know you,” Spike said, smoothing up next to Justine. He took a long drag off his cigarette.

“She’s Riley’s wife.” Faith said.

“So you’re the bint he left the slayer for?” Spike said, giving her a belligerent smirk.

“You know what?” Sam said, turning to Faith. “I’ll wait in the car.” She left the crypt without another word.

“Can’t say I like her much,” Spike said.

“She’s alright.” Faith said, dismissively. “Word on the street is there’s a deal goin’ down with some Suvolte demon eggs. Know anything about it?”

Spike furrowed his brow. “How’d you hear about that?”

“Killed one last night. Riley came to the house after work looking for Buffy. He apparently met Buffybot and thought she was Buffy.”

Justine snickered. “Bet that had to fuck with his head.”

“It had to have been pretty funny. Daniel had to set him straight. He told Riley to come and get me. We ended up tracking the thing clear the hell out to the Pacoima Dam. Apparently, it laid its eggs already. From what Sam was saying, there’s already a transaction in play.”

“If that’s true, you’re looking at Sunnydale being a turned into a ghost town in a few days,” Spike said. “I haven’t heard anything, but I’ll keep my ear open. That’s some right nasty work.”

“I’m guessing these things are bad?” Justine asked, looking at the pair.

“Think Tasmanian Devil.” Faith said. “Without the funny.”

“And they’re hideous,” Spike said. “Really ugly buggers.”

“Thanks, Spike. I’ll catch up with you two later.” Faith said, heading for the door. She made it back to the car, to see Sam leaning against it. She approached the woman and sighed. “Go ahead and say it.”

“Say what?” Sam asked.

“You know you wanna say something.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Is she really the kind of person you want out here?”

“Want? No. Need? Yes.” Faith said. She leaned against the car beside Sam. “There are some things about Warren we didn’t share. Primarily, is the fact that, by and large, he isn’t afraid of us. Any of us. Not me, not Willow or Tara, not even double B. Dawn, however, is a different story. A few months ago, he used to have a couple buddies that were helping him out. They’ve since parted ways. The first one of his pals to leave was some cat named Andrew. Dawn decided she’d had enough and went to their hideout, they fancied themselves supervillains. She beat the shit out of them with a baseball bat. A few weeks later, Warren ended up killing his ex-girlfriend or something and tried pinning it on me. That’s when Jonathan bailed. Now Warren is by himself. But, given the fact that he’s smart enough to build Buffybot from scratch, the boy’s got gray matter. That makes him dangerous.” She shook her head. “But as dangerous as he is, he still knows that none of us is willing to cross the line. None of us will go far enough or sink low enough to take his ass out.” She looked at Sam. “Justine doesn’t have that problem. She’s a woman with nothing to lose, so she risks everything. She’s the kind of girl we need to take out someone like Warren. She won’t cross the line, at least, not intentionally, but if she does, she won’t give two shits. If she ends up jail, she doesn’t really give a damn. Three hots and a cot is the way she sees it.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?” Sam asked.

“Of course it bothers me.” Faith said. “But I’m more pragmatic than most people. I look at the horrible things Warren has done and the things he could do and I can only see one way to stop him. I’m just not willing to do it myself. I have too much to lose. In some ways, I think that makes me a coward in comparison.”

“No, Faith. That makes you human.” Sam said. “I don’t approve of what she’s doing. Not one bit. But it isn’t my town, it isn’t my call. As long as everyone can live with themselves.”

“Welcome to the Hellmouth, soldier.” Faith said, climbing into the car.

 

Riley kept stealing glances at the blonde in the passenger seat. He wasn’t honestly sure how to feel about her. She was a spitting image of Buffy. The way she moved, the way she sounded, even her mannerisms were all Buffy. But, when she looked at him, the way she smiled happily…like no matter where she was and what she was doing, she couldn’t think of anywhere she’d rather be. It was a nice look to see, but at the same time the Buffy he knew never, _ever_  had that same joyfulness to her. The slayer he knew was always pensive and distant. She was forever expecting the worst and seemed almost…disappointed when it didn’t always happen.

As sad as it was to say, Faith was right. Buffy and he would never have worked. She would always be preoccupied with being a slayer and he would always be jealous of the fact. There would never be a concentrated effort on the relationship and the mutual attraction that they felt. Did he love her? Absolutely. But the Beatles got it wrong. You need more than love to make a relationship work. You needed trust, communication and a host of other things.

And those were things they just didn’t have. Moving on as he did was the best thing that could have happened to him. He was deeply and truly in love with Sam. She was a wonderful woman. And as Buffy once said, unlike her, he could stop being a demon hunter and live a normal life. She would never be able to. And if they were to work out, he would have to accept that. He couldn’t seem to.

“Where are we going?” Buffybot asked him.

Her cheerful voice broke him from his inner monologue. “Willy’s. See what he knows. If there’s a deal going down, he’d know about it or know someone that does.”

“Sam is very nice.” She said, grinning. “You two seem happy.”

“We are,” Riley said. “It’s just…it’s strange.”

“What is?” She asked him, cocking her head.

“Seeing you again.” He said, looking at her. “I mean, you look so much like her. It’s hard to believe you’re not.”

“I’m sorry I make you uncomfortable.” She said, sadness weighing down her tone. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s not you. You’re, well, you’re who you are. You’re not Buffy. You’re only what you were created to be.”

“Not anymore,” Buffybot said. “I was originally created to be a girlfriend for Spike.”

Riley looked at her in utter shock. “What?”

“That’s what Warren originally designed me for. Spike wanted Buffy, but he couldn’t have her, so he got me.” She sighed and looked down. “I can never be her.”

He looked at her and was taken aback. She was a robot, that much was true, but she looked genuinely sad. “Do you actually feel emotions?”

She looked at him. “Do you?”

“Well, yes. I’m a human being.” He said, somewhat creeped out by the question. “All human beings feel emotion.”

“Emotion in a human being is a chemical and biological response to specific stimuli,” Buffybot said. “In essence, human beings are  _programmed_  to feel a particular emotion, given a particular situation. Granted, the emotions felt vary based upon the individual. As a robot, I am programmed to react in a designated manner based upon my actions and the actions of others.” She stared at him a moment. “Doesn’t that suggest that I feel emotions just like a human being does?”

Riley thought about it a moment. “I suppose it does.” He chuckled. “Professor Walsh would have loved talking to you. You’re a lot more than you started out as that’s for sure.”

Buffybot grinned. “Faith says I’m a lean, mean ass-whuppin’ machine.”

He laughed out loud. “That sounds exactly like something Faith would say.” He wiped tears from his eyes. “Are you and Daniel happy?”

“Very happy. I love him so much. I get excited when I look at him. I think about all the things I get to do with him when we’re alone and I get giddy.”

He chuckled again. “Yeah, that’s love alright. Sam and I are the same way. We love spending time together.”

“Are you going to have children?” Buffybot asked. She seemed a little saddened when she spoke.

“We’ve talked about it.” He looked at her. “We decided if we have a have a girl, we’re naming her Anne.”

“Buffy’s middle name,” Buffybot said. “That’s the only thing I’m afraid Daniel won’t like.” She shook her head. “I can’t have children.”

“You can always adopt,” Riley said. “Lot of kids out there that are lookin’ for a good home.”

She immediately perked up. “We could do that, couldn’t we?”

“Sure. I don’t see why not. Daniel seems like a responsible guy. You’re a wonderful girl. I think you’d make great parents.”

She seemed truly happy with the appraisal. “Thank you. That makes me feel better.”

“Good deal. We’re here, game time.” Riley said, stepping out of the rig. Buffybot followed suit. She pulled her leather jacket off and put into the car. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“It was a birthday present from Dawn. I don’t want it to get ripped or get blood and entrails all over it.” She said, matter of fact. The set of her face was deadly calm. It was a look he’d seen on Buffy several times. “Let’s rattle some cages. See what the dogs do.”

He smirked and nodded, heading into the bar. It was dark, dingy and smelled of stale beer and cigarettes. The air was thick with smoke. Riley moved up to the bar, with Buffy, clad in a pair of red leather pants and a black sleeveless shirt. She stood with her arms crossed, taking in every single feature of the room. “How you doin’ Willy?” Riley asked, resting his hands on the bar.

The bartender stared at him a moment. “Oh, god I remember you. You’re one of those… Initiative weirdoes. I thought you guys left Sunnydale like, two years ago.”

Riley cast a quick look around and saw a few faces staring at him with none too happy expressions. “Relax boys.” He said, glaring. He looked back to Willy. “I just need some information. A Suvolte demon came through Sunnydale last night. It laid its eggs somewhere. There’s a black market buyer in town looking to score. I wanna know what you’ve heard.”

“I ain’t heard nothin’,” Willy said, standing tall. “So why don’t you and the slayer get lost before the boys get bored?”

Riley grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him over the bar to the floor. “I got a better idea. How about I start swingin’ until you start talkin’? You’re not a brave man, Willy. I give you two shots, three tops.” He drew his fist back. “What do you say? You a gambling man?”

“Why don’t you drop him and try that game on me, small fry.” A large demon with green skin and gloss black horns growled.

Riley turned to see he was flanked by two other beasts. A red skinned monster with large pointed teeth and a three eyed beast with horns. “This doesn’t have anything do with you boys. Go back to your drinks.”

“We three owe you for puttin’ us in cages.” Green skin said as he moved closer.

Buffybot stepped in front of him. “Give me a number.” She said looking up at the green monster.

“What?” He returned, glaring at her. “What are you talking about?”

“A number. One through ten. Just give me a number. Not that hard, right?” She asked, cocking her head.

“Um…four.” He said, not understanding.

“Four it is,” Buffybot said, smiling. Her fist impacted his ribs three times, breaking one with each shot. She then punched him across the jaw, snapping the bone, spinning him to the ground. “Three ribs and a jaw. Four broken bones.” The demon lay on the floor moaning, trying to catch his breath. “What about you two? You wanna try for more? I think my record is seven. Anyone wanna go for eight? Personally, I like challenging myself.”

Riley watched the spectacle with awe. If he didn’t know better, he’d be willing to believe that the robot was even faster and stronger than the girl she was patterned after. “I’d back off. She’s lookin’ in a creative mood.”

Big Teeth Red growled and jumped at her, looking to bear her to the ground. She went with it, taking hold of his shirt, falling backward, while planting a boot into his abdomen. She then kicked off, executing a picture perfect  _Tomoe Nage_  throw. The demon flew through the air, slamming down onto a table across the bar. He didn’t get back up.

Buffybot kicked herself to her feet. She began walking toward the three eyed beast. “Looks like it’s just you, now slick.” She smiled at him. “What do you say, Mack? You want a shot at the title?”

The beast looked at his companions and saw how quickly she’d dispatched them. There was a reason she was the slayer. “No.” He said, backing away. “I’m good.” He turned and ran from the bar as fast as his legs would carry him.

Buffybot turned to Willy. “Talk or bleed, cockroach. Your call.” She said, kneeling beside him. “But no rush.” She grinned evilly. “We’ve got plenty of time…to  _kill_.”

Willy swallowed. “Y-you won’t kill me. You don’t kill people. You’re the good guy, the hero.”

Buffybot wrapped her hand around his throat and began squeezing. “Am I?” She asked, giving him a very happy smile. “You willing to bet your life on that?”

“Alright.” He said, after few seconds. He immediately hacked as she let go. “I don’t know the buyer. But some guy…he’s a human. He says he needs the money. Put the word out to anyone interested.”

“Who’s the seller?” Riley asked. “Where can we find him?”

“I don’t know,” Willy said. “I swear, I don’t know. Just heard a couple of the boys talkin’ about it.” He pointed to the Green demon with the broken ribs and jaw. “He was talkin’ about it.”

“Thank you,” Buffybot said. She turned and gripped the demon by the neck and lifted him from the floor. “Rise and shine, sleepy head. We get to have a chat.”

 

Willow and Tara sat in the casting circle they’d created in the back of the Magic Box. “What spell are we going to use?” Willow asked.

“W-we could call upon Thespia to find the eggs.” Tara offered.

Willow shook her head. “That spell doesn’t work. We tried it once, remember?”

Tara bit her lip. “Th-that spell does work.” She sighed. “Wh-when you were casting it, I …I sabotaged it.” She lowered her eyes, sobbing softly.

Willow stared at her, plainly hurt. “Why would you do that?”

“You remember when my family showed up, claiming that when I turned twenty I was going to turn into a demon?” She looked at her love. “I knew, even when we first met, and I didn’t want the spell showing you me.”

“But you aren’t a demon, Tara,” Willow said, resting a hand on her knee.

“I know that now, but I didn’t know it back then.” Tara wiped her eyes. “I was scared of you finding out what I thought was the truth.”

Willow smiled. “You know what I would have done, even if you did turn into a demon?” Tara shook her head. Willow got to her knees and kissed the blonde witch ardently on the lips. For long moments they shared the embrace. Willow then reluctantly pulled away. “It doesn’t matter what you looked like. I knew what was in here.” She said, tapping Tara’s chest.

“Good thing your dad was full of shit.” Faith said, smiling from the doorway. She moved over and knelt down, kissing the pair. “You guys figure out a spell to use?”

They both nodded. “We think so,” Tara said. “Did you have any luck?”

“Aside from Justine pissing Sam off, no. Spike says he’ll keep his eyes open but he can’t do much till sundown. Riley and double B just got back and they got some information that might be of use.” Faith said as she rose to her feet. She helped her girlfriends up and moved out into the main area.

“According to Willy, the seller is human,” Riley said. “Buffy here managed to get some info from a demon, though. From what he shared, they’re looking for a quick sell. But he’s not working alone. Some girl, a magic user is working with him. The demon didn’t recognize either of them…” He looked to Faith. “But he  _did_  say that guy was really terrified of someone named Justine.”

“Warren.” Everyone said, collectively.

“Why am I not surprised?” Faith said. She looked to Willow. “You think Amy started working with him again?”

“I don’t know,” Willow said, sadly. “I really hope not.”

Sam looked at Faith. “Well…nice to know Justine is doing her job.” She said, her voice bitter.

 


	59. Chapter 59

Justine watched as Spike slept. She sighed and looked at her watch. She had about four hours to sunset. She paced about the crypt for a couple of hours before she made the decision to see what she could find out on her own.

She quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and a tank top and left the mausoleum, heading to her car. She sat behind the wheel and sighed. “Where do I start?” She asked herself. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, thinking. It took a few minutes, but she realized she knew what to look for. She pulled away from the curb, moving toward The Bronze. She made a quick pit stop at a drugstore before making her way.

The parking lot of the club was mostly empty during the day. She was fine with this. She removed the syringe that she’d purchased and stepped around the trunk of her car. On Faith’s suggestion, she began carrying various vampire hunting gear in her boot. Not the least of which was holy water.

She entered the building and groaned in disgust. The club seemed to be busy pretty much twenty-four seven. Here it was a little past three in the afternoon and the place was jumping. She ignored the rather pathetic emo band that tried futilely to sound deep on stage and made her way to the bar. She ordered a Dr. Pepper and moved off to sit alone in the shadows. She watched the room like a hawk.

The girls danced about with their boyfriends, looking like strippers in training. The boys, for there seemed to be no real men in the group, did their level best to look cool. She remembered, once upon a time when she used to frequent places like this. Come in, get drunk, dance until she attracted a warm body and leave with him or her. Didn’t really make any difference what sex they were as long as she got hers. It was a pretty crappy existence.

When Faith and Gunn came to her apartment and told her to talk to Angel about getting straightened up and fighting the good fight, she was skeptical. It was a few days before she had the nerve to call him. His offer was simple. Come on board, go to rehab and start getting paid to do what she already did. She voiced the concern that she didn’t want to be indebted or obligated to him. He eased her mind about it and said that she could walk away any time she wanted.

Now, here she was. Months later, working for the man. The pay wasn’t great, but she enjoyed what she did and felt pretty good that she was making a difference. It made her feel… worthwhile. Angel had told her before she left to come to Sunnydale, that her sister would have been proud of her.

She again scanned the dance floor and smiled. “Bingo.” She said, rising from her table and downing the last of her soda. She slid across the floor, and up to the rather good looking boy with long dark hair, bright green eyes and sheathed head to toe in black leather. He was dancing with a tall leggy blonde with average breasts and enough makeup to pay Macy’s overhead. She did have a rather cute sleeveless blouse on and a rather short skirt with a pair of matching four in inch wedges. “Hey.” She said, smiling lasciviously at him.

“Excuse me!” The girl snapped. “We were trying to dance.”

Justine looked at her. “No.” The redhead said. “You were trying.  _He_  was succeeding. Now get lost, Barbie. I’m gonna give him something that  _isn’t_  made of plastic.”

“Fuckin’ bitch!” Blondie said, drawing back to smack her.

Justine quickly shot a hand out and gripped the girl’s throat and pushed her back. She tightened her hold, causing the girl to choke. The blonde was trying futilely to break her grip. She turned to the dark haired boy. “Me or her? I fuck on the first date.”

“Oh, definitely you.” He said, grinning smarmily. “Sorry, darling. Something better just came along.”

Justine let the girl go. “Take a walk, skank.”

“Fuck you both.” She said, rubbing her neck. She turned on her heel and strutted off. The people on the floor were snickering at her.

The redhead turned back to the boy and put her arms on his shoulders. “Now that you’ve dropped a hundred and twenty pounds of fake meat…” She said, moving with the music. “What’s a tall dark and studly guy like you doin’ in a place like this?”

“Looking for an innocent naïve girl to corrupt.” He said, trying hard to work the mysterious bad boy angle.

Justine maintained her wanton expression. “Well, I’m nowhere near innocent and I haven’t been naïve in quite some time. But that just means I know what I’m doing.”

“I’ve been around the block a few times myself.” He returned, pulling her close.

“Oh, honey. That just means I can count on you to know what  _you’re_ doing.” She pulled him in for a firm kiss. He tightened his embrace. The pair kissed for many moments. She finally drew back. “What say we find a quiet corner and have a little fun?”

“I say that sounds like a rather pleasant notion.” He returned. He led her back under the catwalk into the dimness of the shadows.

Justine quickly took charge and pushed him back against the wall, kissing him fiercely. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her firm frame against him. He squeezed her bottom.

He stopped the second he felt the sharp pain in his chest and the thin steel needle penetrate his heart. “I wouldn’t move.” She said, her voice still husky. “This is a 60cc syringe filled with holy water. I pump your heart full of this and it’ll dissolve from the inside out. Sounds like a pretty shitty way to go if you ask me.”

He remained perfectly still. “How did you know what I was?” He asked, curiously. Fear made his voice quake a touch.

“I’ve been in the business a long time, slick. I can spot your breed a mile away. Now it’s time for a game of twenty questions.” She gave the plunger a slight push. The vampire growled in pain as the holy water singed his heart. “You give me the right answer, I let you walk out of here. You don’t? We’ll see just how long it takes for you to die.” She looked up into his eyes. “Sound good? Okay. I’m looking for a warlock. Calls himself Rack. Need to know where I can find him. I already know he keeps his shit cloaked and that it moves location. I’m human and can’t find it on my own. I need to know where he is, right now.”

“I don’t know.” He said. Pain wracked his body as she gave the syringe another push.

“Wrong answer.” She said to him. “Try again.”

“Look, I don’t know where he is, honest.” The vampire said. “But if you had a magic user, you could find him.”

“I don’t have time for that,” Justine said. “Hand’s getting a little tired, pal.”

“Look, last I knew he was in the alley behind the old run down movie theater on seventh.” The boy offered, pain in his voice. “That was last night.”

“Thanks.” She said, smiling. She pushed the plunger, dousing the vampire’s heart with holy water.

She clamped her hand over his mouth and leaned in closer. “Like I would ever let one of you sons of bitches live.” She said as he slowly melted away. “Later, loverboy.”

She left the club and climbed into her car. She drove away, still snickering. She pulled up to the alley in question and shut her rig off. She stared around at the empty space and furrowed her brow. She got out and began walking around the alleyway, making sure to be careful where she stepped. She kicked an old beer can in anger as she neared the back of the lane. She was beginning to think she got played…when the can rolled along the pavement and disappeared a few feet away. She grinned widely. “Bingo.” She said, quickly moving in that direction.

The dingy trash strewn passage gave way to a dimly lit room that for all intents and purposes seemed to be a cross between a doctor’s office waiting room and a druggie’s living room. It smelled of unwashed bodies and chemicals, with an underlying scent of incense. She saw a couple of people sitting on the sofas eyeing her, nervously. She looked around and saw only one door on the opposite wall of where she’d come in.

She moved up to it and rapped sharply. “Sit down, princess. I’m in and out.” She said as the girl on the sofa moved to get up. Justine didn’t even look at her.

The door opened to reveal the scarred visage of the warlock. He looked her up and down and gave her a smooth smile. He was ugly as sin, but she couldn’t deny the man had a slimy charisma. It was very villain-esque. “Can I help you, young lady?” He asked her. His voice was smooth, like a cobra’s belly sliding over volcanic glass. Which meant he was as dangerous as they come.

“I just need some information. You come  _highly_  recommended.” Justine said, cranking her own dangerous charm up to eleven.

He stared at her a moment and stepped aside, letting her into his inner sanctum. This room, much more richly appointed than the last, gave off the vibe of a person that liked the finer things in life. It was all, however, still in need of a good vacuuming and shampooing. She was pretty certain the room had never seen either. “You said you’re looking for information. Not something I usually deal in.” He stepped around her, moving his hand over her, letting the magic he possessed play over her body. “I’m a bit more…hands on.”

“There’s a kid named Warren that’s looking to unload a bunch of Suvolte demon eggs. I’m wondering where he’s hiding at. Rumor has it he has a chick working with him. A witch that’s been in here before.”

Rack smiled and moved over, flopping down on the sofa. “You got it wrong, girlie. I’ve heard of this Warren character. He’s been making a few waves for the slayer and her witch girls. Word on the street is he’s all alone. At least he was.”

“What do you know?” She asked him.

“What’s it worth to you?” He countered. “You gotta give a little to get a little, right?”

“Way of the world, baby.” She said, moving over to him. “I got some cash if you’re a materialistic man.”

“Money’s good.” He said, smiling. “What else you got?”

She pulled her jacket off and tossed it aside, revealing her tank-top clad upper body. She climbed onto his lap and began rocking back and forth. “Something a hell of a lot more fun.” She said, staring into his eyes.

He gripped her ass and gave it a squeeze. “I like option B.” He said, lust filling his voice.

She slid her hands down between the pair of them. “I thought you might.” She said to him as she unbuttoned his pants.

She stepped out into the alley and made her way back to her car. She popped open the trunk and geared up. She pulled on the body armor and the assault vest that Faith had given to her. She checked everything over and nodded before slamming the trunk lid. She drove, going over what the warlock had said. Warren wasn’t alone anymore. He had help.

She chuckled. She wasn’t worried. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t dealt with before. She made it across town and moved off the main drag to the frontage road that ran along the dock district. She slowly cruised past the busy piers to the older portion of the industrial park. She rounded the bend in the coastline and came to the smaller abandoned warehouse. It was a squat structure with painted over windows in the upper part of the building. She entered the small fenced in yard that surrounded the corrugated steel formation. The fence about the warehouse was over seven feet tall with razor wire about the top. Sheets of metal hid it from view of the rest of the pier.

She pulled the car off to the side and stepped out, looking the building over intently. She circled it, looking for a way in. She noticed that the only entrances were a large garage-style bay and a smaller door to the right of it. There was a window, but it too was painted over. She knelt and checked the lock. Nodding, she pulled a pair of thin metal picks from the vest and began working. She’d been breaking into buildings such as this since she was a child. A lock was never much of a barrier to those that had a little determination and know-how.

The lock clicked, indicating that her efforts had been successful. She put the picks away and twisted the knob, pushing the door open. She quickly moved inside, shutting the door behind her. The building was cluttered with mounds of crates and boxes, as well as long since derelict machinery whose purpose she could only guess. It was a scrappers dream, but beyond that, sat useless as a testament to better days for the disused warehouse. The light in the room was dim casting shadows everywhere. She paused and listened intently.

She could hear the sounds of what seemed like fingers on a keyboard. She reached into her pockets and pulled out a pair of silver knuckles that Spike had given her. They had crosses etched across the back of them, making them very effective against vampires and demons alike. She then began snaking her way through the maze of twisting and turning stacks.

Finally, she came to the center of the amalgamation. She finally found what she sought.

Warren sat at a large desk that housed a bank of computer screens. His back was to her as she emerged from the shadows. “I was wondering when you were going to show up, Justine.” He said, turning to look at her. “Took you long enough.”

If the girl was surprised that he knew she was coming, she showed no sign of it. “I suppose you know why I’m here.” She said to him. “Did you wanna talk a little first, or should we just skip to the part where I beat the shit out of you again?”

“You know…I did some research on you.” He rose to his feet. “You see, it never made sense to me how you could so thoroughly kick my ass. I mean, you’re just a girl. There’s nothing special about you.” He began pacing. “But then I started thinking. Maybe there was more to you than meets the eye. I mean, look at Dawn Summers. Aside from being the Slayer's sister, she’s pretty much normal. And she took the three of us apart. Granted, we weren’t ready for her.” He stopped and stared at her. “Then you came along. You caught me at a moment of weakness. You’ve been throwing me off my game.” He smiled. “But then…then I found someone that seems to hate you just as much as I do.”

“Yeah, I heard about your friend,” Justine said. “What I find funny is that you think it’s gonna matter.” She chuckled. “You ain’t got nothin’ I haven’t dealt with before, punk.”

“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” He said, grinning ear to ear. “If you don’t believe me, just ask her.” He said, pointing. “She’s standing right behind you.”

“Do you really expect me to fall for that?” Justine asked, taking a step forward. She made it a full pace before she felt a finger tap her shoulder. She spun quickly, loosing a hard right cross as she did so.

She was completely stunned as her fist was caught, knuckles and all as she turned. She stared into the face of the strikingly beautiful vampire woman. The deep blue-green eyes looked back at her whimsically. For long moments, the pair continued to gaze at each other. The sound of flesh sizzling could be heard as the vampire temptress held her fist. The crosses etched into the silver burned into her skin. “Oh…” The woman said in a soft, lilting British voice. “Little red girl is sad that the little red girl is dead.” She said, smiling. In a lightning fast maneuver, the vampire released her fist and gripped her throat, lifting her into the air, choking her. “Daddy sent her to play with us.” She cocked her head.

Warren stepped over and looked at Justine’s shocked face. “As you can see.” He said as he stepped up and wrapped his arms around the vampire woman. “I got my groove back.” He leaned in and kissed the beautiful vampire on the neck. “Kill her.”

Justine was pulled closer to the vampire. She stared into those eyes – those glorious, wonderful eyes – and felt herself being unmade.

“Look at me, darling.” The vampire said, her voice soft as silk. It filled Justine’s head until nothing else could be heard. Her eyes swirled and danced, drawing the redhead in. “Be in my eyes. Be in me.” She whispered.

Justine stopped struggling. She didn’t want to anymore. She just wanted to be whatever this woman, this… _goddess_  wanted her to be.

The vampire drew her in, piercing her neck with the razor sharp fangs. She drank the lifeblood from the human girl, savoring in the strength she found there. Slowly, Justine went limp in the woman’s arms. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she felt the vampire stealing her life. But she couldn’t bring herself to care…

Warren stepped back and let the woman feed. He couldn’t help but smile. Justine had been a thorn in his side for weeks. She’d had him scared – terrified even – to leave this makeshift sanctum for fear of the beating he would receive at her hands. He now walked with a severe limp and still had pain in his back and ribs when he got up too fast. So to see her in such a predicament was wonderfully satisfying.

The pale skinned vampire beauty drew back and dropped the girl to the floor. She licked her lips and growled at the sumptuous meal she’d just ingested. She could feel the energy coursing through her. She turned her demonic visage to Warren. “She was strong.” The woman said. “So full of life and…jalapenos.”

Warren snickered. “Now we need to send a message.” He said, smiling.

 

Daniel moved about the kitchen mixing the next batch of brownie batter. “So what do you think on this batch? Pecans, white chocolate chips or peanut butter chips?”

Dawn shrugged. “Why not all three?”

“Because we don’t want everyone dropping into a diabetic coma.” He said, chuckling.

“Um…peanut butter chips,” Dawn said, offering a warm smile. “I know everyone likes peanut butter.”

“I’ve yet to meet anyone that doesn’t like peanut butter,” Daniel said as he poured half the bag into the mixture.

Dawn looked at the clock and saw it was just after five in the afternoon. “How do you think the group is doing?”

“You can call the Magic Box, you know.” He said, looking at her. “They’re not gonna be mad at you.”

“I know,” Dawn said. “It’s just that…I don’t want them to know I worry about them all the time. I want them to think I’m a little more grown up than that.”

“Where is this coming from?” He asked her. “This belief that everyone sees you as a little kid?”

“Because they do,” Dawn said. “Or at least they did.”

“You have a car, a job, and a girlfriend,” Daniel said. “You’re about as mature as the rest of us. You pay your own bills, you earn your keep.” He shook his head. “You’re doing better than most people twice your age.”

“Yeah, but before Faith came along to kinda put things into perspective, I was just Buffy’s little sister. Even now they still…” The pair’s attention was stolen as the sound of a massive car collision filled the air.

They both ran to the front door and threw it open. A jet black ragtop Chevelle sat on the lawn with the front end smashed to smithereens against the large tree.

“What the hell?” Daniel asked.

Dawn, however, ran over and quickly pulled the driver’s door open. Justine fell out of the car and onto the lawn. “Jesus Christ.” The teen said. She reached into her pocket and pulled her cell phone out.

“9-1-1. What’s your emergency?” A calming woman’s voice came over the phone.

“I live at 1630 Revello Drive. I’m calling to report an accident. A girl drove into the tree in front of my house. She’s got a really weak pulse. She’s also got two lesions on her neck near her carotid artery. She’s lost a lot of blood.”

“Alright, ma’am. I’ve got Emergency personnel on the way.” The operator said, doing her best to keep her tone reassuring.

Daniel picked the phone up and called the Magic Box. Anya answered politely. “It’s Daniel. We’ve got a problem.”

 

Faith pulled up to the cemetery and stepped out of the car. She was not looking forward to this conversation at all. The rest of the group had gone to the hospital. She’d volunteered to come and tell Spike what had happened to the girl he’d been spending the past few weeks with.

She came to the door of the crypt and knocked sharply. She could hear the bolt being thrown and the door pull open. She stepped in and turned as Spike pushed it close. “What brings you by, slayer?” He asked. He saw the saddened expression on her face and furrowed his brow. “What happened?”

“Justine is in the hospital.” Faith said. “They…they don’t know if she’s gonna make it.”

“What, what happened to her?” He asked, his voice shaking.

“We don’t know. She was bitten and drained nearly to death.” Faith said, leaning against the door. “Little D found her. Apparently, someone put her behind the wheel of her Chevelle and rammed it full throttle into the tree in front of our house.”

“Someone wanted you to find her,” Spike said, sternly. “She was a message.” He growled and punched the wall, flowering the stone. “That bloody soddin’ ponce Warren is behind it, I’ll wager.”

“That’s my guess.” Faith said. “She’s in critical condition right now. You want a ride to the hospital?” She asked him.

He looked to her and nodded. “I’d like that.” He said, his voice barely a whisper.

Faith waited for him to get dressed in his leathers. He slid the helmet on to protect him from the sun and followed her out, trotting to the car.

The pair arrived and were led to the private room that they were given to wait until the doctors were finished. The whole group was present. Even Giles and Olivia. They showed the solidarity and support that had seen them all through a host of calamities.

Everyone did their best to console him. Sam stepped up and offered her sympathies, but when Riley came close, Spike pushed him away. “You are my least favorite person in the world, right now, mate.” The vampire said, angrily. “Aside from Warren himself.”

“What did Riley do?” Sam asked, wanting to defend her husband.

“Right now my girlfriend’s lying in a room fighting for her life…” Spike glared at the man. “And because this sodding chip in my head I can’t do a bloody thing about it.”

Riley sighed and nodded. For the first time since meeting the vampire, he was genuinely remorseful for what they’d done to him. Now, more than ever, Spike  _deserved_  a little payback. “Because of the Initiative, he can’t harm humans. That means no matter how guilty Warren is, Spike can’t do anything to him. I’m sorry, Spike.”

“My fucking arse you are.” He snapped. “That’s the problem with all you Initiative types. When you were playing your game, you never gave a thought to the fact that things change. _People_  change.” He fell down into a chair. “You never believed that maybe, just _maybe_ something like me, a monster could actually come to care for someone.” For the first time since any of them had met the blonde vampire…they saw Spike weep.

Suddenly Faith’s cellular phone rang. She pulled it out without looking at the number and answered it. “Yeah?” She shot out curtly.

“Put it on speaker.” The voice on the other end instructed. “What I have to say, everyone needs to hear.”

“Who is this?” She asked.

“You know how it is.” He said a smile in his voice.

“Warren.” She said, sternly. Everyone in the room looked at her as she said the boy’s name.

“You’re not as dumb as you look, slayer. Now put it on speaker.”

She did as she was told and held it so everyone could hear it. “Alright, ass-clown. You’re on.”

“I can assume you got my message.” He said, sounding smug.

“I’m gonna find a way to tear your spine out, you little wanker,” Spike said.

“Shut up, Spike. With that tech in your head, you’re about as dangerous as a carnival goldfish.” Warren said. “So save the tired threats.”

Riley snarled and stepped forward. “You don’t know me, asshole. So let me enlighten you. Finn, Riley. Former Initiative agent.”

“Is that supposed to impress me, Agent Finn?”

“No,” Riley said. “But you know what will impress you? When I make a phone call, get a surgical team from Washington sent to this hospital and pull that chip out of Spike’s head.” He took the phone from Faith and held it close. “You know what that’s gonna mean, little boy? That’s means we’re gonna be taking his safety off. He’s gonna teach you  _exactly_  why they call him Spike.” The response surprised everyone in the room.

“You’d never do that,” Warren said, doing his best to keep his voice steady.

“You willing to bet your life on that, kid?” Riley asked. “Government don’t play the same game they used to. I got a license to kill, boy.” He chuckled. “And I can deputize.”

“We’re gonna find you, Warren.” Faith said.

“Let me save you the trouble. The warehouse on the east end of the docks. You’ll know the one. You want your demon eggs and your chance for payback? You got one night. Otherwise, I disappear and you’ll never see me again.”

“We’re on our way, asshole.” Faith said. “You wanna be a super villain, congratulations, Loki. You just pissed off the Avengers.” She took the phone and lifted it up. “And we’re all thinkin’ like the Punisher right now.”

“Then come and punish me, slayer.” He said, ending the call.

“I’ll be right back,” Riley said.

“Where are you going?” Sam asked, stepping over to him.

Riley looked at her then to Spike. “To see if this hospital has a neurosurgeon.” He said, before stepping out of the room.

 


	60. Chapter 60

 

Spike was beyond shocked when Riley left the room. He turned surprised eyes to Sam. “Is he really going to see about getting my chip removed?”

Sam nodded. “No one is going to deny that you’re a monster, Spike.” She looked around the room. “But…I think it’s safe to say that while there isn’t a snowball's chance in hell that we can trust you, we  _can_  trust the rest of this lot to make sure you don’t become a danger. At least not for long.” She turned back to him. “Without that chip, it’s going to be your choice on whether you wanna hurt people or not.” She stepped over and knelt in front of him. “Riley is taking a big chance for you right now. We all are. You deserve to be able to, if not kill Warren, at the very least beat the shit out of him for what he did to Justine.” She cocked her head. “And maybe, just maybe how you feel about her is enough to keep the demon inside you in check.”

Spike stared at her. Everyone in the room was quiet. “I wanna try.” He finally said, sadly. “I…I wanna try to be a better man. For her.”

“Now’s your chance,” Sam said, patting his leather clad knee. She turned to see the door fly open.

Riley stepped in, looking directly at Spike. “You feel up to taking a road trip?”

“To where?” Spike asked, rising to his feet.

“UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. After the Initiative base here shut down, one of the surgeons on our research team was reassigned there. I’ve contacted him and managed to get oversight to have your implant removed.”

“I’ll take him,” Dawn said, getting to her feet. As everyone looked at her, she shrugged. “None of you are gonna want me going after Warren with you, anyway. I might as well do something useful.”

Xander was the one to voice what they were all thinking. “That may be fine on the way to LA, but what about on the way back?” He asked. “No offense to you, Spike, but there’s not gonna be anything to stop him from snackin’ on you on the way home.”

“Xander?” Dawn said, walking over to stand in front of him. “Of all of the people in this room that Spike  _would_  attack after that chip is removed, I’m not one of them.” She lifted a hand to forestall him. “Glory captured him and tortured the shit out of him for hours to find out that I was the key. All he had to do was give me up and that would have been it. But he endured because while he may not really give a damn about any of the rest of you,” She turned at looked Spike in the eyes. “He cares about me. Chip or not, demon or not…Spike won’t hurt me.”

The blonde vampire shook his head. “I couldn’t. When those monk boys made her, they made certain that everyone, even the demon inside me gave a toss about little bit, here. They were thorough, they were.”

“Then it’s settled.” Faith said. “Little D will take you south and get that chip removed.” She stepped over and stood over Spike. “I like you. With that chip in your head, I trusted you. I’m doing that now. I’m trusting you. It might be a very, very stupid thing to do, but I’m doing it anyway. But understand something, Spike. Dawn is the reason I’m here. She’s the reason I was let out. I’ve done everything I could to keep her safe, to make it so she could protect herself when I’m not around. Anything happens to her, it’s on your head. You’ll die horribly and slow, you understand me?” Faith knelt to look into his eyes. “We’re all trusting you. If you think you might not be able to resist what’s happening, go to Angel and get help. Whether you like him or not.”

“I’m not gonna let anything happen to her. Even if I do go crazy.” Spike said. “You all have my word, for what it’s worth.”

“Then come on, Spike,” Dawn said. “Let’s get moving.”

Riley stepped over and handed him a folded piece of paper. “This is the information. Who you have to ask for, where you have to go, all of it.” He took the vampire’s hand. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Spike said, nodding. He slid his helmet on and followed her outside.

“Any word on Justine?” Faith asked Riley after the pair left the room.

“No change. She’s still in surgery.” He said.

“Alright. Here’s how it’s goin’ down. Double B, Me, Riley, Sam, Xander, and Tweed. We’re gonna hit him hard.” She looked at Willow and Tara. “I know you two wanna come and I would really like you to, but this smacks of a setup. Warren may be an annoying little fucktard, but he isn’t stupid. Chances are good that he’s gonna have something waiting for us. I don’t want you two caught in the crossfire.” She stepped up and hugged her girls. “If this goes sour, I want you two to take Liv, Anya, and D and hightail it to Angel’s hotel in LA, alright?”

“Do you really think…?” Willow began.

“Not ruling it out, Red.” Faith said, sadly. “It’s always a possibility. You knew that going into this relationship. Yeah, I know that don’t make it any easier to hear, but it’s the truth.” She kissed the girl firmly. “We’ll do everything we can to come back alive.”

Olivia moved up to Giles. “This is part of your job that I don’t like.” She said, softly. “Please make sure you come home.” She kissed him. “I love you, Rupert.”

He hugged her tightly. “I love you, too Olivia.”

Anya looked Xander in the eye. “You’re gonna go, aren’t you?” She asked, matter of fact.

“Yeah, Anya. I am.” Xander said. His voice was stone steady.

“Why?” She asked him.

“Because I love you.” He said to her. “Because if I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you, then I’m going to make sure you’re safe. If Warren is willing and capable of doing that to someone like Justine, he’s willing to do it to others.” He caressed her cheek with his thumb. “And I couldn’t bear the thought of that other someone being you.” He pulled her in and kissed her, hugging her close. “I promise I’ll come home. Remember, God favors a fool.”

“In that case, you’re indestructible,” Anya said, softly. Her loving tone stole any venom the statement may have carried. “I love you, Xander. And for more than just the orgasms.”

“I know, baby.” He said, happily.

Daniel looked at Buffybot. “I don’t normally say things like this…” He said, taking her hands and staring into her eyes. “I’m not the bravest man out there. Hell, I’m not even the bravest man in the room. Far from it.” He kissed her. “Go and kill this motherfucker. He’s been a pain in everyone’s ass for quite some time. Be the hero that  _she_  was. That everyone knows you can be.” He kissed her again. “And then bring everyone home.”

“I will.” She said to him. “Then I’m going to drag you downstairs and do all kinds of hot…” She kissed him. “Sweaty…” Another kiss. “Dirty sex things to you.” She embraced him firmly. “How does that sound?”

“Like heaven,” Daniel said. “Go get ‘em robo-slayer.”

“Let’s ride.” Faith said, heading for the door. “We gotta gear up.”

Tara, Willow, Anya, Olivia, and Daniel watched with heavy hearts as their lovers left the hospital marching toward what would certainly be a dangerous and uncertain fate.

“I really hope they come back to us,” Olivia said, nervously.

“Faith and Buffybot won’t let anything happen to them,” Tara said, resting a comforting had on the woman’s shoulder. “It’s part of being in love with a demon hunter that you never get used to.”

Olivia turned and gave her a soft smile, receiving one in return. But the fear in her eyes remained. As did everyone else’s.

 

Xander pulled up to his apartment and climbed out. He trotted to his closet and knelt, pulling the trunk out. He opened it and stared at the ordinance that rested inside. “What the hell am I doing?” He asked himself. He sighed heavily as he began pulling out the weapons that he’d requisitioned while he still had the memory and clearance to do so.

He was intelligent enough to know that he’d be needing it. Consciously, a lot of what he’d learned from spending a night in the head of a hardened vet had faded. But, as he reached down and lifted the M-4 Carbine Assault Rifle in his hands, his body remembered. The cool feel of the grip on his palm brought memories of boot camp and infantry training to the forefront.

Suddenly, everything was as clear as if he’d just stepped off the airplane fresh faced into a violent theater in some remote locale. He smiled as he continued to gear up.

He checked himself in the mirror. The M-4 was slung across his shoulders. Two Berretta M9 Pistols each in shoulder holsters and his large knife rested in a sheath on his hip. He nodded and left the apartment, meeting up with everyone at the Magic Box as they’d agreed. A huge ball of lead was slowly filling his stomach. He arrived at the shop and went inside.

Riley and Sam were both checking their weapons at one of the tables. They both looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “That’s um…a lot of hardware,” Riley said, skeptically. “You still a hundred percent?”

“I’m close enough,” Xander said, smiling. “The mind of Xander Harris might not be the sharpest out there.” He lifted the rifle. “But the body never forgets.”

Faith stepped out, decked out in her body armor with her sword across her back and a pair of knives on her hips. “Hey, Xan. Lookin’ good.” She said, patting his shoulder. “Ready to lay down the smack?”

“Affirmative, General.” He said, saluting her. The gesture earned a chuckle from the dark haired slayer.

Buffybot followed her out, wearing a pair of black leather pants, a black long-sleeve shirt, and a like colored denim jacket. She carried a high-powered crossbow with a quiver of bolts on her hip. “I hope we find Warren. I want to hurt him really, really badly.” She said, in her chipper voice. Which sounded far creepier than any of them would have thought possible.

Last out of the back room was Giles. Like Faith, he was clad in body armor and black attire. He had a sword on his back and a crossbow like the one Buffybot carried. “Are we ready?” He asked, looking about.

“Looks like.” Faith said.

“There’s room for everyone in our rig,” Riley said. “We should keep it tight.”

“Agreed.” Faith offered, nodding. “Let’s do this.” They loaded up into the black SUV and readied for war. They all knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt that they were walking into a trap. Right now, Warren was holding all the cards. They were on his turf, playing by his rules. And there wasn’t a bloody thing any of them could do about it.

They were quiet as they made their way to the waterfront. Darkness had set in fully and the city was a shadow filled maze. They pulled off the main drag on onto the frontage road that ran along the pier district.

Looming up ahead, alone at the end of the industrial park, rested the squat corrugated metal structure, surrounded by a large cyclone fence. The warehouse was dark and foreboding looking every bit the villain’s lair.

As they drew near, Faith stretched her senses out, searching for any sign of the undead. At the very edge of what she could feel a presence brought a tingle in the back of her neck. She recognized the sensation. “There’s a vampire in there.” She said. “Can’t pin it down, though.”

“That’s alright,” Buffybot said. “We’ll find them, dust them and then move on to Warren. Then we can go home to our boyfriend and girlfriends and have lots of sex.”

Xander and Faith chuckled. Giles merely pulled his glasses off and cleaned them. The big black Chevy entered the courtyard and pulled off to the side.

After a last minute check, they approached the warehouse proper. Riley pulled some sort of gun-like apparatus from his belt, stuck the end into the lock and began squeezing his hand repeatedly. A few seconds later, the lock popped open.

The interior of the warehouse was dark as could be. The painted over windows allowed almost no light in. Faith and Buffybot could see just fine, but the remaining four of the team couldn’t see three feet in front of their faces. “We have some night-vision goggles in the car,” Riley said, softly.

Suddenly the lights snapped on, bathing the entire room in harsh yellow light. The door slammed closed and several bars crashed down over both entrances. “That won’t be necessary, Agent Finn.” Warren’s voice sounded over a PA system. “You must be the dumbest heroes I’ve ever seen. Don’t any of you read comics books or watch the movies? You walked right into my trap.”

“Yeah, but it’s  _your_  trap, Warren. Not like we’re really all that worried about it. What are you gonna do, throw your pogs at us?” Xander snapped.

“Oh, you wish you were that lucky,” Warren said. “But bonus points for the pog reference.” He added. “You see, I’ve hit a bit of rough patch lately. What with that red-headed bitch sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong…”

“You mean Justine kept beating the shit out of you.” Faith said, chuckling.

“Not that she’ll be a problem anymore. Being dead doesn’t exactly lend itself…”

“She’s not dead,” Sam said, sharply. “She’s still alive. Even when you try to kill people, you suck at it.”

“What?!” He shouted. “She was dead.”

“Shows what you know,” Giles said, dryly. “You’re not very good at this villain business, are you?”

“Shut up old man!” Warren growled. Wherever he was, they heard him move away from the microphone. “You said she was dead.” They could hear a muffled female voice, but none of them could make out what she was saying. Xander and Giles both thought the voice was familiar, but neither could place it. “I told you to kill her.” There was a pause as she spoke. “Well yes, I do realize that you’re a lot more…” He sighed. “Fine.” He turned his attention back to the PA system. “A minor setback. She’s out of the picture, that’s all that matters. But soon you’ll all be dead and my problems will be over.” There was suddenly a sound of metal groaning and slamming to the concrete. “I believe these are what you were looking for.” He said. “Oh and just to make things a little more difficult for you…” The lights in the building suddenly went out. “Have a nice death, heroes.”

The group stood quietly. The sound of skittering on the stone and squeaking filled the warehouse.

Though no one could see him, Xander was looking at everyone. “We are  _dumb_.” He said, exasperated.

Both Riley and Sam pulled a pair of flares from their vests and lit them, tossing them forward. The surrounding area was bathed in an unforgiving red light. “Get your back to the wall so you don’t get surrounded,” Riley shouted. The group quickly did as he instructed.

Fear filled them as they heard the demon offspring draw ever closer.

 

Dawn sat relaxed behind the wheel of her Volkswagen as she drove along the highway towards Los Angeles. She cast a sideways glance at Spike and could see his nervousness. “Why are you so edgy? I thought this is what you wanted.” She said to him.

“It is,” Spike said. “But I’m nervous. I don’t know how I’m gonna be after.”

“You think you’re going to go back to being evil?” Dawn asked him.

“There was never a time when I wasn’t, little bit,” Spike said. “Evil is a part of what a vampire is. It’s who we are.”

“Not you,” Dawn said. “You’ve had the chance plenty of times in the past two years to be evil, to make our lives a living hell. But you haven’t. You may be a vampire, but you aren’t a monster.” She looked at him. “A monster wouldn’t have risked his life for me. A monster wouldn’t have let someone beat the hell out of him if it could have been avoided. And Spike?” He turned to stare into her eyes. “A monster wouldn’t have cried over a girl like Justine.”

“But how much of that was the chip and how much was me?” Spike asked.

“It was all you, Spike,” Dawn said as she turned back to the road. “You’re a hundred and twenty plus years old. You’re not a stupid man. You’ve had time to perfect being evil. The chip, by all rights, should have been an inconvenience, not a barrier. Xander and Willow told me about what you were like when Adam was around. I was still living with mom at the house. You were a serious asshole then. Pitting everyone against each other. You could still be doing that, but you’re not. You help out now a lot more than you used to. That isn’t the act of a man that hates people. You’ve come to care for this group. Granted, in your own twisted way, but…” She sighed heavily. “And we don’t appreciate you nearly as much as we should.” She added softly. “I’m sorry for that.”

Spike stared at her a moment longer. “No.” He said, shaking his head. “This, now. What everyone is doing, what you’re doing shows a lot of trust. Trust I don’t really deserve.”

“That’s just it Spike. You  _do_  deserve it. You deserve it because of the things you’ve done. You don’t owe anyone in this group anything. You could have just as easily packed up and left when Buffy passed away. But you didn’t. You stayed. That took a lot of courage.”

“I do wanna do the right thing, nibblet.”

“I know you do, Spike. And this is your chance to prove it.” Dawn said, smiling. She saw the sign for Los Angeles. “Soon you’ll be back to normal. Then you get to choose your own destiny. Reformed vampire or the good old big bad. It’ll be completely up to you.”

Spike continued to stare off into the city as the buildings rolled by. There were things he wanted to do that he just couldn’t because of the chip in his head. True, he’d gotten used to it, but that didn’t mean he liked it. It was taking away his ability to choose. It was forcing him to do things that he didn’t want to, or wouldn’t do. But for the past two years, he’d come to understand that the demon inside him wasn’t all-powerful and all consuming. He’d made choices, _conscious_ choices to do what was right, what was  _good_. The girl that sat in the driver’s seat trusted him implicitly. She knew that he’d never do anything to hurt her, no matter what was in his head. It boggled his mind. Three years ago, he’d have terrorized girls like Dawn. He’d have been the kind of thing that would have made her afraid to go to sleep at night.

Now, however, he was a hero to her. He’d risked everything for her. It was even safe to say, in his own peculiar way…he loved her. She was like the kid sister he’d never had. And as he looked deep inside himself, to where the evil that made him what he was resided, he and the demon were in agreement. Neither wanted to see pain in the girl’s eyes. If that meant working and fighting shoulder to shoulder with those that he once called enemies, then it was a bargain well struck.

He had his decision. The demon lived within  _him_. It was part of  _him_. Not the other way around. Spike was nobody’s bitch. He was in control. The demon growled and attempted to defy, but an inner bitch-slap put it down and kept it there. The demon was  _his_  bitch.

The massive structure of the UCLA Medical Center appeared down the road. Spike smiled. Today was the first day of the rest of his unlife.

 

Warren watched from on high, through the night vision lenses of his surveillance cameras as the group fought off the wave of demon hatchlings. He knew that Faith and Buffybot both had an advantage. He’d known for some time that Faith had eyesight that would let her see in almost pitch blackness. And Buffybot was a product of his robotic genius. He’d made her everything Spike wanted. And he could see, from how she was handling herself, that she’d since been upgraded. She was faster, stronger and far more resilient than anything he was capable of.

That actually pissed him off. He was always used to being the smartest guy in the room. And someone had gone and tinkered with one of his creations. Despite the fact that Buffybot wasn’t technically his any longer, it still felt like she was. And he hated people messing with his stuff.

What he hadn’t expected, however, was how completely prepared the rest of the group would be. Riley and Sam having the flares was a setback. Seeing Xander with an assault rifle, and knowing how to use it very effectively, likewise shocked the hell out of him. Giles stood calmly firing arrow after arrow into the demons as they came closer.

Faith’s blade whistled as she spun it this way and that, impaling one demon and slicing another in half. “Christ these things just keep coming!”

Buffybot kept firing her crossbow. Without looking, she kicked backward, pinning a demon to the wall with her foot. Xander turned, fired a quick burst into it and resumed shooting at the oncoming horde.

Riley and Sam, knowing each other as they did, were like a well-oiled machine. Their own weapons sputtering death as they took careful shots and fired short bursts.

Slowly the creatures dwindled to nothing. “Now that the undercard is over.” Faith said. “Riley and Sam. You two help Xander and Giles get these doors open. Double B and I are heading upstairs.” She didn’t wait for a response. She simply took off through the warehouse.

Warren cursed as he realized, in short order, that the day was lost. “Well, time to vacate.” He said, rising from the console. He turned to the beautiful vampire woman. “You really should have killed her.”

“But that would have been so boring.” She said, capriciously. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in, plundering his mouth with her tongue. “I like to play, you know that.”

“Yeah.” He said smiling. “I know that.” He moved and sat behind the wheel of the armored truck that she’d procured for him. It hadn’t taken him long to get his gear replaced. He fired up the truck and shifted gears.

Faith crested the stairs and jumped, smashing the door down to the office that looked over the entire bay. It was completely empty, save for one computer in the process of formatting the C drive. “Shit.” She said, staring at it.

“There’s a large truck pulling away,” Buffybot said from the only unpainted window.

“Oh, no you don’t.” Faith said. She ran full speed and dove out through the glass. She sailed through the air and slammed down hard on the roof of the truck. The impact caused her to nearly black out.

Buffybot realized quickly that she would never make the jump as the truck was too far away. So she jumped out the window, landed in a crouch and took off after the vehicle as fast as her robotic limbs could carry her. Slowly, she gained on the truck.

Faith shook her head to clear the cobwebs. She heard a panel on the top of the truck flip open. She lifted her head to see a pale–skinned vampire woman with long raven black hair and a mischievous smile. The slayer rose to her feet. “And who are you?” She asked.

“Death.” The woman said, staring into Faith’s eyes.

Faith could feel herself getting drawn into the woman’s gaze. For a moment she merely stood there, the wind racing past as she was captivated by…she wasn’t sure what, but something about the vampire just  _fascinated_ her.

The undead temptress smiled lasciviously. “Goodbye, slayer.” She jumped and planted both feet squarely into Faith’s chest. She landed on her back and kicked herself back to her feet.

Faith realized a heartbeat too late what had happened. The impact threw her backward off the truck.

Buffybot had nearly caught up when she saw Faith flying backward off of the roof. The android rushed forward and jumped, managing to catch the slayer before she crashed to the ground. The pair were forced to watch as the armored truck drove away into the night.

“Dammit!” Faith said angrily.

“It’s alright,” Buffybot said. “At least we got the eggs before they flooded the city. Soon Spike is going to be back in town and without his chip. He’ll find Warren and deal with him.”

Faith nodded. “True. Almost starting to feel sorry for the kid. I just wonder who the hell that vampire was. She seems familiar, but I’ve never seen her before.”

“Let’s go home.” Buffybot offered. “We’ve got people waiting for us.”

Riley and Sam said their goodbyes, stating that the reason they were in town had been handled. Justine had been upgraded from critical to stable condition but would remain in the hospital until her blood levels were up to par.

The group dispersed from the Magic Box and headed home, exhausted and concerned for their friends.

Dawn had called to say that Spike was in surgery and that she was currently at the hotel with Angel and company, waiting to hear word.

All the group could do was wait. They all had miles to go before they could rest easy.

 


	61. Chapter 61

Dawn sat on the rounded sofa in the middle of the hotel lobby. Angel paced back and forth while Cordelia sat on a stool at the desk with Connor in her arms. She had a bottle of formula up to his lips. Seeing as it was barely six in the morning, the rest of the Angel Investigations crew was still in bed. The girl could see that Angel was incredibly uncomfortable.

“Are you sure about this?” He said, his tone sour. “You have no idea what he’ll be like after.”

“No, I don’t.” Dawn offered. “But I  _do_  know that he’s risked his life many, many times for me when he never had to. He stayed in Sunnydale, even after Buffy died to help us.” She was trying really hard not to sound accusatory, but if it slipped into her voice, she really didn’t care. “He’s been a good friend. He was there for us. An evil monster wouldn’t have done that.” She grinned. “And besides…he’s in love with Justine.”

Angel stopped and looked at her. “What?” Cordy mimicked his surprise.

Dawn nodded, grinning. “Ever since she got to Sunnydale, she’s been staying with him. When she went into the hospital, Spike actually cried.”

Angel turned to regard Cordelia. For her part, she simply shrugged. He looked back to Dawn. “I did not see that coming.” He said, moving over to sit beside her. “Spike has always been so…mean. He’s never really given a damn about anyone but Drusilla.”

“Buffy told me that after they split up, Spike started hanging around with Harmony.”

Cordelia burst out laughing. “She came down here a couple of years ago, talking about having a bad breakup. She never said who she broke up  _with_.” She shook her head. “Harmony and Spike. That’s just sad.”

“I’d say it could be worse, but I don’t see how,” Dawn said, chuckling.

“I don’t see how you can’t be worried sick,” Angel said. “I’ve seen the kind of things he does. How cruel he can be.”

“That’s exactly my point.” Dawn turned to face him. “All you’ve seen is how evil he is.” She bit her lip and thought a moment. “Would you say, when you get right down to it, Spike and Angelus are comparable in the evil department? That they both enjoy the whole carnage thing about the same?”

He regarded her for a moment. Like everyone else, he had memories of her. False memories, he knew, but they were there. And like everything else that occurred when he was evil, he was haunted by them. When he lost his soul, she was one of those that he tortured. Back there and back then, she was just a frightened little girl. She wasn’t even a teenager yet. Looking at her now, he had a hard time reconciling the image he saw with the child she was. But she had asked him a question. And she deserved an answer. “Spike, for a demon, never did think that much about the nature of evil. He just threw himself in.” Angel chuckled. “He was fast, brutal, smart, to a point. He was the kind of vampire that made people afraid. He thought it was a party. He liked the rush, liked the crunch. Never did look back at the victims.” He shook his head. “I couldn’t take my eyes off them. I was only in it for the evil. It was everything to me. It was art. The destruction of a human being.” He looked at Dawn. “That’s the principal difference between me and Spike. On some level, we were both just as evil as the other. I didn’t make people afraid of me. I made people trust me. Then I broke them down, piece by piece.”

“Spike was a chainsaw, Angelus was a scalpel.” Cordelia clarified. She looked at Angel. “You can be so long-winded sometimes.”

Dawn saw the exchange and snickered. “You two are like an old married couple, I swear.”

“Seems that way sometimes,” Cordelia said, rising from her seat. “Someone needs a bath and a change.”

Angel immediately rose from the sofa to take him from Cordy. She swatted at his hands. “Don’t be rude.” She said, pointing to Dawn. “You have a guest. I can wash and change him.” She lifted the baby onto her shoulder and patted his back. “Go be a good host.” She then took him up the stairs.

Angel sighed and leaned against the counter, staring after the girl.

“She has a really nice butt, doesn’t she?” Dawn asked, smiling widely.

Angel turned back to her. “What?” He asked her, surprised.

“Cordelia. She’s got a nice ass.” Dawn said, matter of fact. “She’s extremely attractive. I can see why you stare at her.”

“I don’t stare at her,” Angel said quickly. “She’s a valued colleague and a great friend.”

“And a stone cold hottie,” Dawn said. “I may be young, but I have eyes, Angel. I’ve seen you stealing glances at her the whole time I’ve been here.”

He stared at her and sighed heavily. That was one thing about Dawn that he both liked and hated. The girl was actually sharper than people gave her credit for. She listened when people didn’t think she was and she was watching quietly when people thought she wasn’t paying attention. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that she could see the truth. “I don’t know how the hell it happened. I just…” He looked up at where she disappeared. “She’s so much different than the girl she used to be. She’s good at what she does.” He smiled. “Great moves.” He slowly turned to Dawn. “That sounded a lot less disturbing in my head.”

“Always does.” She said, chuckling. “If it’s any consolation, Buffy did tell me once that if things didn’t work out with you, she could always try to woo Cordelia.”

“Is it sad that that mental image doesn’t really bother me?” Angel asked.

“No. Just proves that you’re a guy,” Dawn said.

“What were you getting at when you asked about me and Spike?” He asked her, getting back on topic.

“I was wondering what Angelus would be like if he had a chip that kept him from feeding on people?”

He sighed, leaning back and crossing his arms. “Truthfully? I would have seen it as a challenge. I would have learned, in great detail, what I could get away with and what I couldn’t.” He thought a moment. “In the end, I don’t think it would have really mattered to me. If I couldn’t drink from people directly, I’d have others do it for me. I’d have subordinates drain humans and I’d drink second hand. Angelus would have been  _more_  dangerous with the chip than without.”

“How is that possible?” Dawn asked him. “If you couldn’t hurt people…”

“I’d be more dangerous because I’d be  _angry_. Spike’s chip didn’t allow him to harm humans physically. That’s Spike’s bag, you see? Always has been. Getting down to basics. Drink, kill, repeat. But the chip, from the sounds of it, doesn’t hamper you from doing mental harm, mental damage. That’s what I was all about. The mental trauma. Like I said before, the destruction of a person.”

“So…with the chip, Angelus really wouldn’t be any different than he would be without it.” Dawn surmised.

“In a nutshell. I’d just have to be more creative about my killing.”

“That’s why I’m not worried about Spike losing his chip,” Dawn said. “For the past year, he’s been different. He’s actually gone out of his way to help us. When Glory was terrorizing us, Spike could have simply told her that I was the key. But he didn’t. He let her beat the shit out of him and never spilled a word.” She leaned back and drew her knees up wrapping her arms around them. “Buffy went to his crypt after. She pretended to be Buffybot and asked him why. He said that, that if Buffy ever lost me, it would destroy her. He couldn’t live with himself, seeing her in that much pain.” She looked at Angel. “Tell me, after knowing that…” She paused a moment. “Should I be worried?”

Angel stared at her for a long moment. He didn’t have an answer for that.

 

“There’s going to be some tenderness for a while.” The Doctor said as he looked down at the vampire. He shook his head. “I can’t believe I was ordered to do this.” His voice was filled with disgust.

“You’re not half as surprised as I am,” Spike said, reaching up to touch the bandage on the back of his head. “Bloody hell.”

Dawn chose that moment to enter the room. “Thank you for calling me, Doctor.” She said, offering her hand. “And thanks for all your hard work.”

“You sure about this?” He asked again. It was at least the half dozenth time he’d done so.

She chuckled. “Yes, Doctor I’m sure,” Dawn said, sternly.

“As I was saying, he’s going to be tender. His vampire healing should take care of most of it before too long.” He looked at the vampire. “I’d offer you something for the pain,” He smiled. “But I don’t want to.” He then turned on his heel. “You can leave anytime.”

“Pillock,” Spike said, sitting up. “Christ, my head.” He said, reaching back again. “If I’d have known it would hurt this bad, I’d have left it in.”

“Would you really?” Dawn asked him.

“No. But it still hurts like the blazes.” The blonde vampire said, smiling.

“Can you drive a stick shift?” She asked him.

“Yeah, why?”

She sat on the edge of the bed and offered her arm. “Because you need something to drink.”

“No,” Spike said, shaking his head. “I’m not doin’ that. Anyone but you.”

Dawn smiled and nodded. “Just checking.” She moved over and gathered his clothes, setting them on the bed. “Get dressed. It’s time to go.”

A few minutes later, the pair left the hospital and climbed into Dawn’s car. She attached the hands-free and dialed Faith’s cell phone.

“You on your way home?” Faith asked as soon as she answered.

“Doc showed me the chip and everything,” Spike said. “Head still hurts like hell, though.”

“Par for the course when you got people digging around in your head.” Faith said, chuckling. “How do you feel?”

“Like someone cut a piece of my brain out,” Spike said. “But fine, otherwise.”

“No urges to drain people dry and leave them to rot?” Faith asked him.

“Well, of course, I got the urges, slayer. Part of being a demon and such. But nothin’ I can’t live with.” He said, steadily. “But you all have been good to me. Treated me with respect and gave a toss about how I felt and what I wanted. More than I’ve had before, that’s for sure. I’m not gonna mess that up.”

“Glad to hear it.” Faith returned. “Justine’s in stable condition instead of critical. She’s still at the hospital and will be until her blood levels get back to normal.”

“But she’s gonna be alright?” He asked, nervously.

“From what the doctors say. She was busted up pretty bad, but she should pull through.”

“I appreciate you checkin’ in on her,” Spike said, graciously. “Thanks.”

“No problem Spike.” Faith said, softly. “Get back here so we can all worry together.”

“We’re on our way,” Dawn said, ending the call. “This is gonna be fun.”

Spike, for his part, chuckled. “Yeah, it really is. I’m gonna tear that boy limb from limb. And I’m gonna have a bloody good time doing it.”

 

Faith slid her phone into her pocket and went back to cooking breakfast. After getting back from the warehouse, she hadn’t really slept. Willow and Tara were still asleep upstairs. They’d been worried sick the whole time the operation took place. Faith couldn’t really blame either of them.

They’d all gone in very well prepared and were able to take down all of the Suvolte Demon hatchlings, but in the end, Warren and his pet vampire were still at large. She cursed herself for not being able to stop them. Whoever the vampire was, she was powerful. With just a look, she’d been able to stop Faith in her tracks. She didn’t know how the woman had done it. She was debating on whether to tell the group or not. They all knew Warren was working with a vampire, but they didn’t know specifics. She was loathe to tell them that she got bested so easily. It really did bother her.

She cursed as she realized she was burning the bacon she was cooking. “Dammit.”

“What’s the matter?” Buffybot asked her from the doorway to the basement.

“Just a little distracted.” Faith said, taking her bacon from the pan, placing it on the plate before starting a new batch.

Buffy moved over and gently pushed her out of the way. “If you’re going to cook bacon, you’re not going to ruin it. Go cut vegetables or something.”

“So you want me around a sharp knife instead?” Faith asked as she grabbed cheese from the fridge and a knife from the block.

“If the choices are knife or fire, yes,” Buffybot said as she manned the stove. “Wanna talk about it?”

“I’m just thinking about that vampire last night. I’ve never seen anything like it before. She was so strong. I mean, I’ve dealt with vampires that were physically more powerful, but mentally?” She shook her head. “She was something else.”

“Have you told the rest of the group about her? Maybe she might be familiar to some of them.”

Faith shook her head as she sliced the cheese. “Pride kept me from talking about it last night to anyone.” She looked at the android. “I don’t want you bringing it up, either.”

Buffybot looked at her. “Then you should say something to someone. If you know something about the vampire, it’s information that we all need to know.”

“I know, I know.” Faith said. “I just don’t like admitting that I got my ass kicked so thoroughly like that.”

“Think what she could do to the others,” Buffybot said simply. “By not telling them what she’s capable of, they won’t be prepared if they happen upon her unwittingly.”

Faith hadn’t thought about that. “That’s a good point.” She conceded. “I’ll let my girls know when they get up.” She paused a moment. “Speak of the devil.”

“The Devil, also known as Lucifer, Diablo and the Morning Star was said to be an angel before he was…” Buffybot began.

“It was a turn of phrase.” Faith said. She saw the grin on the robot’s face. “Sometimes I think you do shit like that just to fuck with us.”

“I would never do something like that.” The blonde said, but the smile just got wider.

“Uh huh.” Faith said as her loves made their way down the stairs to the kitchen. She embraced each of them, offering a loving kiss to both. “Mornin’.”

“There was a gaping hole in our bed where our girlfriend usually sleeps,” Willow said, getting the juice from the fridge. “You not sleep well?”

Faith shook her head. She pulled the lettuce and tomato out and began cutting it.

“What are you making?” Tara asked.

“Oh, crap.” Faith said, sighing. “I was supposed to be cooking breakfast. I suddenly started thinking of BLT’s.”

Willow and Tara looked at each other and shrugged. “That’s okay,” Tara said. “I like BLT’s. Never had one for breakfast, but it sounds and smells delicious.”

“Good.” Faith said, chuckling. “My mind is not with me this morning. Little D called. Spike’s surgery went off without a hitch. She’s on her way back now. Should be here in a couple hours.”

“How’s Spike feeling?” Tara asked. She tried her best to hide the concern in her voice, but it was difficult.

“He said he’s got urges and shit, but nothing he can’t hack. He said we’ve all been too good to him to screw up what he’s got. He’s still concerned for Justine. I let him know that she’s stable for the time being.”

“Tell them or I will,” Buffybot said from the stove as she put down, yet more bacon.

“Tell us what?” Willow asked.

“About the vampire that’s working with Warren. I met her last night. Some sort of vamp that can do the brain mojo.”

“What do you mean?” Tara asked.

“She just kind of stared at me and I froze. Then she did this wicked jump kick that just chucked me off the truck they took off in.” Faith explained, ashamed.

“What did she look like?” Willow asked.

“I don’t know. Tall, pretty, pale and dead. You know? Vampire-like.” Faith said.

Willow furrowed her brow. “Did she say anything to you?”

“Yeah. When I asked her who she was, she said she was Death. Then she drop-kicked me like a football.” Faith said. “She sound familiar?”

“I don’t know. I mean, who I’m thinking of isn’t that good of a fighter.” Willow said. “And the vampire I’m thinking of is crazy.”

“No, this chick was in her right mind, alright. She knew full well what she was doing.” Faith admitted. “But I’m gonna talk to Tweed and see about getting some kind of mental training to keep shit like this from happening again.”

Tara nodded. “That’s not a bad idea, actually.”

“Bacon’s done,” Buffybot said, happily. She began crafting the sandwiches with a practiced hand. Thanks to her months at the restaurant, she was in her element. She made two sandwiches for both Tara and Willow. She built four for Faith and made two to take down to Daniel. “I’ll see you all later.” She said, smiling as she descended the stairs.

“She really has come a long way.” Faith said, watching the bot disappear down the steps. “I’m glad she’s here to help us out.”

“So, any idea where Warren moved to?” Willow asked. “I know Spike is gonna wanna know.”

“Oh man. When he gets hold of the little bastard, it is going to be all over.” Faith said. “That’s actually something we have to discuss.”

Tara sighed. “Whether or not we allow Spike to kill Warren or not?”

Faith nodded. “Given what the little shit’s done in the past few months, I’m all for it. He’s killed one person already. He got away with it. Now, he thinks that there are no limits. He doesn’t believe that there are any consequences to his actions. Given that the kid’s a genius and has a penchant for avoiding trouble…” She shook his head. “He’s not gonna stop. And let’s be honest, even if he does go to prison, someone with his smarts wouldn’t be there for long. He’d find a way to escape. And if he does, he’s just gonna come after the people that put him there even harder. Right now he still thinks this is all a game. A fuckin’ comic book. That’s our only advantage over him right now. He still isn’t taking us quite as seriously as he should. Spending some time getting roughed up in prison is gonna make him take this shit  _very_  seriously.” She stared at the pair. “And I don’t know about you two, but that scares the shit out of me.”

Both the witches looked at her and to each other. Neither of them was happy with the idea of killing someone, or through inaction, letting someone get killed. What Faith said made a world of sense. She was completely and absolutely right. If Warren did go to jail, he _wouldn’t_ be there for very long. He was too smart and too cunning. He’d escape and he’d want revenge. And they’d all pay the price for his prison time.

Bottom line, it was kill or be killed. Warren was one of the most dangerous foes they’d ever faced. Not because of his genius, not because of his technology, not because of his fringe science.

But because he was  _human_. He was a man. He wasn’t a vampire that they could just dust. He wasn’t a demon that they could slaughter or a cyborg-demon hybrid that they could tear apart. He was just a simple, ordinary human. What he could do put him square into the ‘slayer’ camp of villains. What he  _was_ took him right back out.

And that was the damnable part of it all. He thought like a comic book villain. But this wasn’t a comic book. There was no Super-maximum facility for villains like him. Largely, because the world didn’t believe in them.

Willow was suddenly stricken with a notion. Maybe there  _was_  a place for someone like Warren. Somewhere that he  _couldn’t_  escape from. He was a techno-prodigy, true. So he would have to be surrounded with people that were just as smart and just as cunning as he was. “What about the Initiative?” She asked, excited. Tara and Faith looked at her curiously. “Well, think about it. They’re used to dealing with demons and vampires and stuff, right? Someone like Warren would be cake for them to deal with. He may be smart, but he’s not smarter than the super-secret government guys. And you remember what Riley was saying? They’re all about dealing with threats the old fashioned way. They wouldn’t kill Warren. They’d use him. They’d force him to do what they wanted him to do. If he refused,  _then_  they’d kill him.”

Faith nodded. The idea definitely had merit. “That’s actually a pretty damn good idea. Makes it their moral dilemma, not ours.” She pulled Willow in for a kiss. “You’re a genius, baby.”

Tara smiled a likewise kissed her girlfriend. “Nice work.”

“Think you can get back in touch with Riley and Sam?” Faith asked.

Willow nodded. “Sam gave me her email address.”

“Looks like we got us a ballgame.” Faith said, happily. Deep inside, she had absolutely no problem with letting Spike bleed Warren dry and leave his carcass for the birds. She didn’t care one iota. The fact that she didn’t care, bothered her. She’d killed in the Mayor’s name and those deaths haunted her. She understood why and actually welcomed the sleepless nights and cold sweats that she woke up in. She screwed up and was paying for it, simple as that. She had no qualms with that. It was expected.

But now, here she was, contemplating the pros of letting a vampire kill a human. She was actually arguing  _for_  it to her girlfriends. It truly bothered her that she could debate so effectively the reasons to let it happen.

Willow, however, being one of the voices of reason, had come up with a capital idea. And Faith loved her for it.

 


	62. Chapter 62

 

Faith set the fender in place and pulled the socket wrench from the toolbox. She ratcheted the bolts down and secured it tightly. She wiped the sweat from her brow and stepped back, looking over the old Chevy.

It had been a little over a week since Justine was put in the hospital. They’d canvassed the town, but couldn’t find hide nor hair of Warren and his pet vampire. Spike spent nearly every waking hour with Justine in her hospital room. He wouldn’t leave her side.

The doctors said that Justine’s blood levels were coming back up to snuff and that she should be cleared to leave in another day or two. After receiving a nice, fat bonus for completing the construction job almost a month ahead of schedule, Faith decided to reward Justine’s bravery by fixing the girl’s Chevelle. Having given it a once over, she was relieved to see that there wasn’t as much damage as she thought. The frame was still straight, but the fenders, hood and front end were mutilated beyond repair.

Faith spent the first day ordering the parts she needed from Year One. “Damn, I’m good.” She said, looking everything over. She moved her tools out of the way and turned to Buffybot. “Gimme a hand with the hood?”

The blonde robot nodded. “Sure.” She said, happily. Buffy held the matte black bonnet aloft while Faith leaned back over the fender, fastening the bolts to the brackets. She followed suit on the other side and closed the hood. It slammed down firmly in place.

She eased back and stared at the front of the machine. It looked fantastic. The matte black push bumper would ensure that car survived whatever was thrown at it. The tinted lenses over the headlights gave the rig a very sinister feel. All in all, Faith was very proud of what she’d done. “Nice.” She said, nodding. “I think she’s gonna love it.”

“I think so, too,” Buffybot said, smiling brightly. “When does she get out?”

“Tomorrow at the earliest. I have a distinct feeling that’s the longest she’s gonna wait. She said the food and the boredom are driving her crazy.” She looked at the bot. “Did T-bear and Red get the spare bedroom made up?”

“They did. Tara even went out and bought some blackout curtains for Spike.”

“Good lookin’ out.” Faith said. They’d talked about it at length and all agreed that when Justine got out of the hospital, she was going to come and stay at the Summers house in the extra bedroom they had upstairs. Spike was welcome to stay so long as he promised not to eat anyone. Since returning from Los Angeles, he’d been on his best behavior. With Buffybot, Tara and Willow supervising, she’d allowed him to take a bit from her to get him back up to strength. Since that night, he’d admitted that he’s been drinking blood from humans, but said that they were willing and he wasn’t killing anyone. They all knew where he was going to get it. There were underground clubs in town that vampires and vampire groupies frequented that, while repulsive in concept, was very meticulously policed in practice. The owners of such clubs didn’t allow vampires to kill anyone. Strict rules were enforced by very large demons with very sharp stakes and very big swords.

Of the group, Faith was the only one that he’d taken to show that he was serious about wanting to do things right. “I’m not gonna fight what I am, slayer. But I understand that there has to be rules. This place is as good as it gets.”

Faith decided to just let it go. Yes, he could drink animal blood, but it wasn’t the same and they both knew it. So, letting him feed from the young, stupid and willing was a sacrifice they were willing to make. She pushed the thoughts from her mind and concentrated on the task at hand. She finished up a few last minute touches. “I’m hungry and I think we’re all done out here. Thanks for helping.”

“I’ll always help you, Faith, you know that,” Buffybot said, hugging the girl. “Daniel’s making bacon cheeseburgers.”

“Oh, snap.” Faith said, rushing to get her tools and equipment put away.

“How long before you go back to work?” Buffybot asked.

“A week, give or take. Tony’s still working with the top brass getting the permits and shit in order. Apparently, we’re starting construction on a new high school where the old one was. We start clearing the debris as soon as we get the go ahead.”

“That’s good,” Buffybot said as they moved into the kitchen. She stepped over to her fiancé and pulled him in for a searing kiss. “Sexy man-chef.” She said, joyfully.

Daniel returned the kiss in kind. “You two have fun?”

“We did,” Buffybot said, looking over what he was doing.

“Yeah. I’m just glad it wasn’t all that bad. Gotta love old school muscle. She musta hit the tree doing better than forty miles an hour. It was only by the grace of God, she didn’t trash the frame.” Faith said, snatching a slice of cheese off the tray of fixin’s. “I think she’s gonna be seriously happy with what we did to it. It looks badass, now. All Road Warrior and shit.”

“Good deal.” He said, turning his bacon.

“How much longer you got with that?” She asked.

“Ten minutes, maybe fifteen.”

“I’m gonna go up and grab a shower.” Faith said. “Where’s Red and T-bear?”

“They’re at the store, picking up some last minute things for Justine’s room,” Daniel said. “They want her to be as comfortable as possible.”

“That’s cool.” She trotted up the stairs, stripped out of her sweaty, grungy clothes and grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top. She hopped into the shower and quickly scrubbed herself down. She’d been out of prison for months as she still took incredibly short showers. She chuckled as she was drying off. “Old habits die hard.” She said, tugging on her clothes.

She heard the front door open and close and ran out of the bedroom, thundering down the stairs to meet her girlfriends. She kissed each passionately. “Whatcha got?” She asked, grinning. She peeked in the bags as the pair set them down on the coffee table.

“No peeking,” Willow said, playfully slapping at the slayer.

“I wasn’t peeking.” Faith said, grinning. “I was spelunking for pork rinds.”

Willow and Tara both giggled and rolled their eyes. “That was a cheesy reference, even for you.” The redhead responded.

“What can I say? Little D, Dan and me marathoned all three movies last night.” Faith said. “Ooh, food should be about done. Danny is makin’ bacon cheeseburgers for lunch.”

“He had us stop and buy pickles,” Tara said, pulling the massive jar from the bag. She handed it to Faith. “Take that into the kitchen, sweetie.”

Faith took it and did as she was asked. Daniel turned from the stove with a plate heaped with crispy bacon. “It’s ready.” He said, pulling four burger buns and slathering them with thousand island dressing. “You wanna cut up some of those pickles?” He asked. “I’ve got your burgers going now.”

Faith nodded and removed the lid, taking out and slicing up two of the large pickles. She put the jar in the fridge. As big of fans as the household was, the jar would be lucky to last a week.

Soon all three girls were plated up. Both Willow and Tara had one large burger each. Daniel made two for himself and served Faith a plate with four. Each of hers was piled high with everything. Neither Tara and Willow were fans of onions on their burgers. Daniel, strangely, didn’t like vegetables at all on his. Faith found that to just be weird. He also managed to ferret a couple away for Dawn to have as a snack when she came home from school. They always liked to have something for her to eat before she went to work at the Doublemeat Palace.

“Anya is starting to talk about the marriage,” Buffybot said out of the blue. “She wants everyone to start thinking about wedding gifts.”

Faith chuckled. “Me, T-bear and Red already got our shit picked out.”

“We’re putting down the money for new appliances for their apartment,” Tara said. “Stainless steel. She was fawning over them in the hardware store the other day.”

“We’re saving up to get them a new living room set,” Daniel said. “Sofa, love seat, chairs, end tables and coffee table. I hear Giles and Olivia are focusing on the bedroom.”

Willow nodded. “Dawn’s already started paying for the new entertainment center and electronics. She’s even going to start picking up extra shifts at the restaurant.”

“I think they’re going to be very happy,” Buffybot said. She immediately rose from her seat at the island. “I have to get ready for work.” She pulled Daniel in, kissing him. “I will see you at four, love.” She said, before heading down the stairs to the basement apartment.

Daniel watched her go and sighed contentedly before returning to his meal. “So, have you two set a date?” Faith asked him.

He looked at her and shook his head. “No. Neither of us is really in a hurry, to be honest. We see how frantic Anya was, how terrified Xander was and we decided that we didn’t wanna be like that. We figured that we’d know when the time was right.”

“That’s a good outlook to have,” Tara said.

“Personally, I’m kind of jealous,” Willow said, leaning on the counter after she’d finished her hamburger. “At least you  _can_  get married.”

Faith looked at her. “You’d be willing to marry me, Red?” She knew they all loved each other, but she didn’t really think she’d worked her way that far into the redhead’s heart.

“I guess I would, yes,” Willow said. She actually surprised herself with the admission. Seeing Faith’s face light up in response was well worth it.

The slayer shot from her seat and ran over, hugging the girl tightly. She didn’t say a word, she simply held her girlfriend and wept.

 

Justine sat in bed in the hospital room watching the television. She surfed channels for a while and settled on an old martial arts movie from the eighties or nineties. It had Cynthia Rothrock in it, but beyond that, she couldn’t tell anything about it. She looked around and groaned.

After a few minutes, the door opened and Spike stepped in, motorcycle helmet in one hand and a large plastic bag in the other. “Thought you might be gettin’ hungry and tired of all that hospital food.” He set his helmet on the counter and scooted the chair closer.

She beamed at the sight of him. “I’m starved, actually.” She said, sitting up a little straighter. She pulled the overlap table closer as he began pulling Styrofoam containers out of the bag. “What did my sweetie bring me?”

“Got ya some of those spicy wings we both like.” He said, setting the white box down in front of her. “Blue cheese and barbecue, ‘cause I know you love it.”

She grinned widely and flipped it open, taking out the little tubs of dip. She immediately mixed them together in the lid of her container. “Awesome.” She motioned him closer and kissed him. “You’re so good to me.”

He sat down and opened his own and began eating. “Doctor’s said anything new?” He asked.

“Nope. My count’s getting back to what it should be. I told them I’m leaving tomorrow. I don’t give a shit what my levels look like. I’m sick and tired of being here. It’s depressing.”

Spike chuckled. “How’d he take that?”

“Just gave me the ‘we’ll see’ line.” She snacked on another wing. “He’ll figure it out when I pop these lines out of me and start walkin’ the fuck outta here.”

“We still haven’t been able to find him,” Spike said, sighing. “I’ve exhausted every contact I’ve got. No one seems to know where he is. Lotta people are sayin’ he’s skipped town.”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know.” He offered. “It’s possible, but I doubt it. I mean he’s still got a hell of a hard on for this lot. Especially for you. You’ve been makin’ him look like a knob ever since you got to town. Everything he’s tried to do has gone to pot, so I can see him wanting his payback for that. Faith and the rest of the Scoobies are under the assumption that he’s not taking this seriously. But I think that fact that he wanted you dead and had a vampire drain you tells me that he’s taking it seriously enough.”

Justine watched his face as he spoke. The more he said, the madder he seemed to get. They’d only been together a few weeks, but in that time she’d come to care a great deal for him. They thought so much alike and had the same innate cruelty. Neither would ever be nor would they want to be, a hero. But at that same time, they weren’t going to allow bad things to happen to good people. Her reasons for that were simple. She wanted to spare people the pain she felt when she lost her sister.

Spike’s motives now, weren’t as deep seated, but they were still valid. He had it good. He had friends,  _true_  friends that counted on him, that  _trusted_  him. Yes, a couple of years ago, he would have taken that trust and torn them apart. Even after getting his chip, he tried very hard to remain the evil manipulative bastard he had always been. But slowly, things changed. No matter how hard he tried not to, he came to respect the group. He even, to his ultimate surprise, began to like them. Some more than others, granted, but still.

Then the worst thing that could ever happen to him came about. He fell in love with Buffy. Something he never,  _ever_  thought would happen. Couple that with the fact that the monks that created Dawn screwed with his memories, forcing him to care about her more than he cared for himself and he simply _couldn’t_  be the monster that he was. Dawn was right. Chip or no, vampire or no, he wasn’t that person anymore. And would never be again.

When his chip was removed, he was honestly scared that he would have to constantly struggle with the demon inside for control. But after the surgery, and every day since, the urges were less and less. He’d even begun to feel somewhat guilty for the things he’d done. He remembered calling Angel a couple days ago and spoke a long time with his old chum. He told the older vampire what was happening to him. The regret, the sorrow at times…all of it.

What Angel told him was shocking, to say the least.

“Sounds to me like you’re regaining your soul.”

“That isn’t even bloody possible.” Spike snapped.

“Don’t be so sure.” Angel returned.

“If I had a soul, why ain’t I all snivelin’ and broody like you, then? That whole Anne Rice routine?”

Angel laughed. “Because I was cursed with it. Forced to live with the guilt, the anguish. And not to put too fine a point on it, but I’m a hundred years older than you and did things a lot worse than you  _ever_  did.”

Spike wasn’t about to argue with that. Back in the day, when he first was turned, he looked at Angelus as something to aspire to. The fear the elder vampire instilled in people was just awe-inspiring. “I suppose that’s true.”

“Look, Spike. This is just a guess, but it all seems to fit. This past year seems as though the powers that be were testing you. I’ve got dozens of books with hundreds of prophecies that talk about vampires with souls and elves with facial hair…I think there might be something about Joggers, yo-yo's and asses?” Angel said, uncertainly.

“Bloody hell. It’s  _Jaghan’ya ōẏāriẏarsa_ , you Pillock. It’s Bengali. It means Warrior of the Damned.” Spike said.

“My point is the powers that be have been slowly rewarding you for what you’ve been doing. For the good things, you’ve accomplished. The night with Faith? The Harley she gave you? Which I am jealous as hell about, for the record. The trust and friendship of the group? Justine, and Riley removing that chip? All of that, I think, was the powers that be giving you incentives to keep on the path you were on. You’ve had the chip gone for over a week now and you haven’t killed a single person, have you?”

“No. Truthfully, haven’t really wanted to. I still drink from people, but they’re willin’ groupie types.”

“There you go. Ever since getting that chip in your head, you’ve been fighting the good fight. Just like me. Except, you know,” Angel grinned. “Less snivelin’ and broody.” He offered in his best cockney accent. “I was made to mourn and regret because I was cursed. You earned your soul. Slowly, piece by piece, I think it’ll come back to you.”

Spike thought about that conversation as he looked at Justine. She was watching him ponder and left him to his inner dialogue. He gave her a warm smile. “I love you.” He said, simply. “Just thought I would tell you that.”

She stopped eating and stared at him. She was shocked beyond measure. They’d been shacking up and screwing nearly nonstop since she arrived in Sunnydale. She’d come to care for him a great deal. She knew more about him than anyone alive and found that his past wasn’t something that really bothered her. She could see the man he was and knew that, while not a far cry, was different than the monster he’d been. He still had the twisted edge that made him who he was, but he was tamer. He wasn’t  _evil_. He was just…Spike.

And she found that Spike was someone she could live with. Did she love him? Truthfully…? She smiled at him. “I love you, too.”

“I was hopin’ you’d say that.” He said, happily. He leaned in and kissed her again.

 

Faith, Tara, Willow, and Dawn were all waiting as Spike rolled the girl out in the wheelchair. They’d specifically waited until after sunset to pick her up. Which, sadly, meant that Buffybot and Daniel couldn’t be present. Anya and Giles were at the Magic Box working as well.

As soon as she was free of the hospital, she stopped the chair and stood. “Don’t need that damn thing anymore.” According to the Doctor, her blood count was still lower than it should be, but she was insistent and wanted desperately to leave. Spike assured him that he would make certain to check her daily and bring her back if there were any changes.

Everyone was rather surprised when they’d learned that her medical expenses had been paid in full courtesy of a company based out of London.

Faith called and asked Quentin if he knew anything about it. He simply told her not to fret over it and hung up. It was a very nice gesture and she fired off a letter to the Watcher’s Council thanking them profusely.

“How do you feel?” Tara asked, moving up to the girl to offer assistance if it was needed. Faith opened the front passenger door of the Jeep to let her in.

She smiled at everyone. “I’m fine. A little unsteady, but it should wear off soon. Truthfully, I’m just glad to be free again. Hospitals are horrible.”

“Yeah. None of us are fans.” Dawn said.

They all piled in, with Dawn sitting in the very back. Faith drove carefully, making certain not to jostle too much. Justine watched the scenery roll by and sighed. She really,  _really_  hated hospitals. She supposed it was only natural. Anyone who actually enjoyed them was just plain fucked up.

They pulled up to the Summers house and left the rig. Justine raised her eyebrow as she saw Faith’s Roadrunner sitting on the street. “Why isn’t your car in the garage?” She asked.

“Had to move it for a while. Had some shit to do. Needed the space.” Faith returned. “Wanna see?”

“Sure,” Justine said. Faith had said that her Chevelle was totaled and had to be towed away. From what she’d been told, one of Xander’s friends had taken it to his place to keep it until Justine was out of the hospital and could get it fixed, which the girl had every intention of doing.

“You’re gonna love it. I picked it up for a song.” Faith said, reaching into the Jeep and tapping the garage door opener.

Spike, Dawn, Tara, and Willow all stood back, waiting for the girl’s response. As the panel rose, the dark colored machine was bathed in the bright fluorescent lights of the room. Justine stepped closer, looking the car over. “Is this…?” She asked, moving around it.

“It’s yours.” Faith said, crossing her arms. “Me and double B got her finished yesterday. She’s not original, sorry to say. The body panels are all from Year One. We couldn’t get original fenders and hood.”

The redhead was astounded. “You said it was totaled.”

“Well, it was crunched up pretty bad. Body took most of the impact. Frame was still arrow straight. That’s really all that matters. Everything else was just cosmetic. The engine and drivetrain were pretty much untouched. Had to get you a new radiator on account of the other one was punctured, but beyond that, there wasn’t a whole hell of a lot to do to her.”

“I like this,” Justine said, tapping the push bumper. “Keep me from screwing everything up if I decide to plow it into a tree again.” She looked at Faith. “How much did all this come to?”

“Don’t worry about.” Faith said, pulling her in for a hug. “Just glad to have you back out with us where you belong.” She grinned widely. “When you get all healed up, we’ll take a road trip to Vegas or something.”

“That sounds like fun.” She said, happily. She turned and looked at Spike. “We’ll make sure we arrive at night so you can join in the fun with us. They say it’s a city that never sleeps.”

He pulled her in and stared down at her. “That does sound like a lark.”

“Come on.” Faith said. “We bought steaks that we can grill.” She looked at Spike. “We even all offered up a pint.” He gave her an appreciative smile and a nod. She led the troupe into the house and began cooking.

Justine helped out where she could, still somewhat awkward around the group. She saw the ease and comfort they showed with each other. She honestly didn’t feel like she fit in.

As Tara and Faith worked on the food, Spike and Willow chatted as she prepared a simple mixed green salad. Dawn noticed Justine’s melancholy. “Let’s go take a look at your car again. I never really got a chance to check it out.” The teen said.

Justine nodded and went back out into the garage. “Angel gave it to me after I got out of rehab.”

“What were you in there for?” Dawn asked as she stared at the machine. She wasn’t really interested in the car. She was more concerned about the redhead beside her.

“Alcoholism,” Justine said, honestly. “I have a drinking problem. I mean, it isn’t so much that I have a real  _desire_  to drink, I just don’t know when to say when.” She shook her head and moved over to her car, opening the door and climbing in. “You know my sister was killed by a vampire.”

Dawn had spoken a little with Justine. They didn’t know each other well, but Faith vouched for her, which was good enough for her. “She was your twin, right?”

“Yeah. I found out that Angel got the son of a bitch that took her. I was thankful for that. As soon as I was clean and sober, he handed me the keys to this.” She looked at Dawn. “Get in. Let’s go for a drive.”

The girl nodded and hit the garage door. Justine fired her car up and rumbled out. Dawn again pressed the button and ducked under before the door closed. She slid into the passenger seat and pulled the seatbelt over her shoulder. “You a good driver?”

Justine smiled. “Let’s find out.” She said, roasting the tires as she took off like a shot. They raced down the street. She cranked the wheel, throwing the car into a sideways slide around the corner. “I used to boost cars when I was younger. Drove ‘em into the ground and left ‘em.”

“You were one of those kinds of kids, huh?” Dawn asked.

“What about you? Did you do anything stupid?” She asked, cruising along. She again ripped around the corner and drove down to the waterfront.

“Not really. I mean, I skipped school a couple of times after mom died.” She chuckled. “On Halloween, I tried to meet up with a friend and go walking around with some boys. We did that whole ‘I’ll tell my sister I’m staying at your place, you tell your mom you’re staying at mine’. Faith caught on pretty quickly and actually was cool about it. She covered for me and Janice but told us never to do it again. We all ended up at the Bronze doing Karaoke. It was really fun.”

Justine smiled. “That was nice of her.”

“So what’s the problem?” Dawn asked her. “Since you got out of the hospital, you’ve seemed kind of distant.”

The girl just shrugged. She pulled to a stop along a turnout on the frontage road and turned the car off, facing the ocean.

“We’re your friends, Justine. You can talk to us if something’s bothering you. You know that, right?”

“Spike said he loved me yesterday.” She blurted out.

“Not surprising,” Dawn said. “When you first got into the hospital, he cried. I’d only ever seen him do that once before. When my sister died.”

She nodded. “He said as much. I told him I loved him back.”

“And…you aren’t sure that you do?” Dawn asked her. The girl shook her head. “Again, not surprising.”

Justine looked at her. “I said it, and at the time, I think I meant it. I mean, I was happy that he said it and I think that’s the only reason I said it back.”

“You love him,” Dawn said, simply. “I can see it. So can anyone else with the sense god gave a garden slug.”

“How can you be so sure?” Justine asked. She was actually quite perturbed by the whole scenario. To confess love for someone that you weren’t sure you loved was a pretty horrible thing to do.

“Oh, come on. Really?” Dawn shook her head. “Why do people make things more difficult than they need to be? I mean seriously. Is it just a grown up thing?” She turned in her seat to face the redhead. “Look at what you’re doing right now. This whole entire situation has you turned around and confused so badly it’s unreal.” She chuckled. “Only people that you love can twist you up this bad. You told Spike you loved him. When you said the words, saw his reaction, how did it make you feel?”

Justine thought about it. To be honest, it made her feel pretty damn good. She told Dawn as much.

“Now, close your eyes and picture Spike,” Dawn said. Justine did as she asked. “His shirt is off, candlelight glistening off the pale chiseled chest, shut up I’ve seen him with his shirt off, too. He’s yummy, deal with it. Anyway, there he is, all ready to pull you in for a kiss that’s gonna make your knees weak. With me so far?”

Justine smiled and nodded. “Oh yeah.”

“Good. Keep that image.” Dawn said. “Now, picture him with a long stake sliding out of his chest, blood slicked from the trip it had just made through his heart. He stares at you, pain in his eyes as he slowly dusts. Fear is the last thing you see before he vanishes, never to be seen again.”

“Jesus Christ,” Justine said, looking at Dawn incredulously. “Way to fuck up a really good visual.” She was genuinely angry.

“How do you feel right now?” Dawn asked. “Seeing something like that, what would you do?”

“I’d kill the motherfucker that did it.” Justine snapped. “And I’d take my fucking time about it.”

“Does that answer your question?” Dawn turned back around to look at the view. “You love him. How serious that love is, I’m not sure, but it’s there.”

Justine realized the girl was right. She did love Spike. She enjoyed the things he said, the things he did. The sex was fantastic, the conversations were often side-splittingly funny and he was just a general joy to be around. His sense of humor was dark and most times crude, but that was the kind of thing she looked for. “Yeah, I guess I really do.” She turned to Dawn. “Young and smart. Scary.”

“Hell, you should see me when I’m trying,” Dawn said. “Come on. I wanna steak.”

After dinner was consumed and conversation was had, everyone disappeared into their rooms for the night. Spike and Justine rested in the near pitch black cuddling. Though they missed sleeping together, they weren’t inclined to simply jump to the lovemaking.

They didn’t say anything because they didn’t have to.

In the darkness and silence of the room, the shelf system that rested upon the dresser suddenly powered on. “ _…I don’t hardly know her…but I think I can love her_.” Belted out of the speakers before the radio turned off.

Justine looked at him. “What the fuck was that?” She asked a bit of fear in her voice.

Spike for his part, looked about. He felt a bit of a chill run down his spine. He’d felt spirits before. It wasn’t uncommon when living in a graveyard. But this was different. For the briefest of moments, he felt a familiar sensation with the shiver. It took him a moment to put it together. The girls had been telling him that every so often they felt Buffy still looking out for them.

He realized, in that moment, what had happened. “Relax, love.” He said, laying back down, pulling Justine in close. “Apparently you got nothin’ to worry about.” He turned and pecked her on the head. “Welcome to the family.”

Justine couldn’t help but smile at that. She settled in and fell asleep, feeling better than she had in a long, long time.

 


	63. Chapter 63

 

Faith was excited as could be. Ever since she suggested spending time in Las Vegas to Justine, she’d been looking forward to it. Now, she sat with Tara, Willow, Daniel, and Buffybot talking it over.

Daniel and Buffy both agreed that it would be best if they stayed home. “I will make sure that Sunnydale is kept safe.” She said, smiling. “I can take the time off that you need as to not compromise my patrolling with work.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “What if you need to be repaired?”

“What about getting Fred up here for a few days?” Faith asked. “She’s got enough gray matter for it.”

“That would work,” Willow said, looking at Tara. “What do you think, baby?”

“I’ve never been to Las Vegas. I think it would be fun.”

“That then brings us to one last point.” Faith said. “Little D.”

Everyone nodded their agreement. Despite having quite a bit of things to do, Faith, Willow, and Tara were rather hesitant to pull Dawn out of school, even for a couple of days, to flitter off to Las Vegas for a weekend.

“It’s not like she doesn’t deserve it,” Daniel said to the girls. “She’s been busting her butt in school and around here. She’s been taking extra shifts at work and been doing really well.”

Buffybot nodded. “She’s in the running for employee of the month.”

“That’s true. She’s been kickin’ ass and takin’ names.” Faith agreed. “Maybe we should talk to her and see if she wants to bring along that girlfriend of hers.”

“I think this all sounds like a wonderful idea,” Tara said, finally. She looked at Buffybot and Daniel. “Are you sure you two don’t wanna come along?”

They both shook their heads. “I don’t know about Buffy, but I’m not exactly a party animal.” He said.

“I think it would be nice to have the house to ourselves for the weekend,” Buffy said, taking her fiancé’s hand.

“Then it’s settled.” Faith said. “We’ll talk to little D when she gets home.” She rose from her seat. “It’s…Wednesday now. We should leave tomorrow night. I’m gonna head up and let Justine and Spike know what’s going down.”

Daniel and Buffybot excused themselves to their apartment to clear the time off with Manny. Willow moved over to the phone and put a call in to Fred.

“Angel Investigations, we help the helpless.” Cordelia offered, happily. “Angel, he needs to be changed. He’s not hungry.”

“Oh, god. He does.” The vampire returned, taking the baby from Cordy’s arms. “Come on, buddy. Time to clean you up.”

“Sorry. How can I help you?” She asked, grabbing a pad and pencil.

“It’s alright Cordy. It’s Willow.” The girl said, giggling. “How’s Connor doing?”

“Oh, hey Willow. He’s doing great. As healthy as a horse. Eats like one, too. Had a vampire cult trying to get to him a few days ago, but we laid down the smack.” Cordelia was very happy. “Angel’s been training me how to fight. I took down two vampires on my own. I’m so proud of myself.”

Willow was actually surprised by that. “You should be. The only reason I can hold my own is because of my magic. I still can’t fight for shit.”

“Did you just swear?” Cordy asked, giggling. “You never used to swear.”

“I’ve been hanging around with Faith too much,” Willow admitted, somewhat embarrassed.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure some of your nerdtastic tendencies have rubbed off on her,” Cordy said.

“Yeah. She watches a lot more Discovery Channel than she used to.” Willow offered, looking at Tara, who nodded her agreement.

“How’s Justine doing?”

“She’s better. Her last check up went smoothly. She’s back to being the tough as nails foul mouth booty kicker she was.” Willow said. “She and Spike are still staying with us. They’ve pretty much moved in at this point. Spike brought the last of the stuff from his crypt yesterday.”

“That’s a pretty full house, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. There’s eight of us, but it’s okay. The bedrooms all have their own bathrooms now, so it isn’t so bad.”

“Wow,” Cordy said, impressed. “Someone did some serious renovating.”

“Yeah. Three-quarters baths in the two bedrooms upstairs. The master bedroom is where Faith, Tara and I sleep and it’s got a full bath with a nice Jacuzzi tub.”

“Angel paid to put one of those in my room here. It was really nice of him.” Cordy said. “What about roboslayer and her fanboy?”

“They live in the basement. Xander and some friends from the construction site worked overtime and turned it into a really nice one bedroom apartment with all the amenities. It’s even got its own kitchen and laundry room.”

Cordelia sighed heavily. Sadly, she still had feelings for the boy. Breaking up with him was one of the stupidest things she’d ever done. Now, he was engaged to be married to Anya and seemed to be doing very well for himself as the interior carpentry foreman of the construction company he worked for. He made good money and was living a rather good life. “So did you just call to catch up?” Cordy asked her, sitting back in the chair.

“Not really. With things being as difficult as they have for the past few weeks, a lot of us were thinking about taking a bit of a vacation.”

“What are you guys wanting to stay here?” Cordy asked, shocked.

“Oh, no,” Willow said. “We’re spending the weekend in Las Vegas. Because we’re taking Spike with us, we’re leaving Thursday night and coming back Monday evening. I was actually hoping to borrow Fred for a few days.”

“Fred? Why?”

“Well, you see Buffybot and Daniel are staying behind. They like the idea of having the house to themselves and…”

“Yeah. Two guesses what they’ll be doing.” Cordy said, sniggering. “I still can’t believe he has sex with a robot. That’s just gross.”

“Really, Cordy? Of all the things that have happened to us over the years, does that really rate?” Willow asked.

“Good point.” Cordy conceded. “What did you need Fred for?”

“I need someone here to repair Buffybot if she gets damaged while she’s holding down the fort. It’s just for a weekend. Think you can spare her that long?”

“Hold on. Let me get her and you can ask her.” Cordy said. “Hold please.” She hit the button.

 _Losing My Religion_  by REM played as she waited. Willow began bobbing as she listened. “I like this song.” She said, smiling.

Tara giggled as she made sandwiches for lunch.

“Hey Willow,” Fred said from the other end of the phone. “Cordelia said you wanted to talk to me.”

“I was wondering if you would be willing to come up to Sunnydale tomorrow until Monday?”

“Of course,” Fred said, happily. “Why?”

“Buffybot is staying in town to patrol while the rest of us take a bit of a vacation. With the improvements we made to her last time, she’s a lot more resilient than she used to be, but I just want our bases covered.”

“Oh, of course,” Fred said. “Um…do you mind if I bring Charles with me?”

“That’ll be fine,” Willow said. “There’s just one thing. Daniel and Buffy have voiced that they want the house to themselves.”

“Oh, that isn’t a problem. We’ll get a room at a hotel.” Fred said. “You’ve slept in one, you’ve slept in them all.”

“Yeah, we really only have one four star. The rest are Econolodges or Best Western caliber.” Willow offered. “Just stay away from Offramp Inn. That place is a dive. Even Faith was creeped out by that place and she was a slayer at the time.”

“Good looking out,” Fred said. “We’ll be there tomorrow afternoon.”

“I’ll let everyone know you’re coming.” The redhead said. “Thanks, Fred.” She ended the call and looked at Tara. “They’ll be here tomorrow.”

“That’s good. Now you won’t worry so much.” Tara said, sliding a plate over to the girl. She leaned in and kissed her girlfriend.

Faith rapped on the door to the bedroom Spike and Justine shared. “You two decent?”

“Not bloody likely, slayer,” Spike said. “But we’re not naked if it helps. You can come in.”

She chuckled and opened the door, stepping in and closing it behind her. The pair were sitting in bed cuddling with the television on. She leaned against the door and crossed her arms. “So…last week I brought up the idea of going to Las Vegas.” She said, looking at Justine. “You look like you’re feelin’ good enough to make the trip.”

She beamed. “Oh, hell yeah.” She said. She looked to Spike. “What about you, babe? You feel like hittin’ Sin City?”

“Been a while, gotta admit.” He said, nodding. “Who’s on the list of party goers?”

“Well, we got me, Red and T-Bear. Xan and Anya wanna come along. Little D is comin’ and we might be bringing her girlfriend with us.”

“What about Giles and Olivia?” Justine asked.

“They opted to stick around in town. Danny and Double B are staying to cover things while we’re gone. Tweed and Liv are gonna be here to help out. Red is also getting in touch with Fred from Angel’s crew to come up in case Double B gets messed up and needs to be repaired.”

“When are we leaving?” Spike asked, grinning. He was genuinely looking forward to it.

“I figure we could pull out tomorrow night just after sunset and make it a night trip. Weather is supposed to be nice the whole way. You two can cruise in the Chevelle with the top down.” Faith said. “I’m taking my Roadrunner and Xander is driving his new Charger.”

“Finally stopped beatin’ around the bush and bought himself one, did he?” Spike asked. “Why the Charger and not the Challenger?”

“You know, I asked him the same thing. He said that he wanted something that was fast, loud and still had room for his friends.” She chuckled. “You know, funny thing is that he wanted to just get the 3.8 V-6.”

“Still looking at three hundred ponies,” Justine said. “Not bad for a six-banger.”

“Anya talked him into the 6.4 liter Hemi.” Faith said, nodding. “She said, and I quote ‘since I can’t have a Corvette, any grocery getter I’m seen in better be able to lay rubber like one’.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Anya, alright,” Justine said, snickering.

“With four hundred and seventy horses, I’d say it qualifies,” Spike said. “So tomorrow night, huh?”

“Yep. Pack for a couple of days. We’re coming back Monday evening. We’ll be driving in sunlight on the way back, though.”

Spike shrugged. “That’s alright. It’ll still be a lark of a weekend. Thanks for includin’ me.”

“Like I said, you’re family, blondie.” Faith said, pulling the door open. “Have fun, you crazy kids.” She shut the door and trotted back down the stairs. She went into the kitchen. “Spike and Justine are on board.” She gave Tara a kiss as she handed the girl a plate with four large sandwiches piled on it. “Thanks.”

“Fred is coming up with Charles,” Willow said. “They’re staying at a hotel so Buffybot and Daniel can have the house to themselves.”

“Did you tell ‘em about the Offramp?” Faith asked.

“I made sure and tell them to avoid it.”

“Good. Place gives cockroaches the wiggins.” Faith said, eating her sandwiches.

Dawn trotted up to the house and tossed the door open. “I’m home.” She said, hanging her backpack off the hook that Daniel had mounted on the post of at the foot of the stairs. She entered the kitchen to see Tara and Willow cleaning up.

They regarded her as she came in. “There are sandwiches for you in the fridge, sweetie,” Tara said.

“Score,” Dawn said, seeing the pastrami with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and onions. She saw they both had pepper jack on them and giggled giddily. She pulled the plate out and took a soda before sitting down at the island. She began taking the plastic wrap off the paper plate that the meal was on. “I took a Science quiz today. Blew it out of the water.” She said, happily.

“Good deal. I know that was a class that was giving you a hard time.” Willow said.

Faith came in from the garage, wiping her hands on a cloth. “Hey, little D.” She said, bumping her with her hip as she walked by. “Thought I heard the Hercu-Beetle pull up.”

“Hey, Faith. I was just telling the girls that I got an A on my Science quiz today.”

“Nice work, D.” She looked at Tara and Willow as she washed her hands. They both nodded. She finished up and dried her hands on the dish towel. “So we were thinkin’.”

“That’s dangerous,” Dawn said, taking a bite of her sandwiches.

“Oh, twerps got jokes.” Faith said, crossing her arms. “How would you like to talk that smexy girlfriend of yours into takin’ a road trip this weekend? We wanna leave tomorrow night and drive to Las Vegas, coming back Monday evening.”

Dawn stopped chewing and stared at the slayer, dumbfounded. “You…you wanna take a trip to Las Vegas this weekend? To  _the_  Las Vegas? That’s like, not the name of some new fast food restaurant or new theater they just opened in town, is it? Las Vegas, Nevada, Las Vegas?”

“Yes. To  _the_  Las Vegas. Sin City. Fifth track off of AC/DC’s Powerage album?” Faith said.

“You know, it actually kind of bothers me that I’m such a nerd that I actually know what you’re talking about,” Dawn said.

“There is nothing wrong with knowing about good music.” Faith said. “Even Red here knows about AC/DC. Don’t you Red?”

“I know enough not to be totally lost if they come up in conversation,” Willow admitted.

“Anyway.” Faith returned to the topic at hand. “You game or not? It’s gonna be us, Spike and Justine, Xan and Anya.”

“Buffy and Daniel staying here?” Dawn asked. “And what about Giles and Olivia?”

“They all wanted to stay behind. Giles didn’t seem too keen on the idea and Olivia couldn’t take that kind of time away from the gallery. New exhibit coming in that she has to get set up for a weekend showing.” Tara said.

“Buffy and Daniel are going to watch the town while we’re gone,” Willow added.

“Well hell yeah, I wanna go,” Dawn said. She was honestly shocked that she was being asked to go.

“You deserve it.” Faith said, addressing her unasked questions. “You’ve been doing good in everything. Your training, your grades, your job. We think you should have some fun, too. We don’t like the idea of pulling you out of school for two days, but…it wouldn’t be fair to go and leave you here all alone.”

“And you, you want me to invite Kit?” She asked.

“Sure, why not?” Faith said, shrugging. “A girl’s night out in Vegas? How romantic is that shit? And with the mad ass bonus I got from the job, I got you covered for cash so you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of so you don’t have to dip into your savings for the trip. How’s that sound?”

“Sounds a little too good to be true,” Dawn said. “What’s the catch?”

“Well,…you have to murder someone.”

“Please tell me it’s Warren and that you know where he is,” Dawn said, sternly. “Because I’ll so do it.”

“Jesus, little D.” Faith said, chuckling. “No. I was kidding. No strings. We just need a vacation. Warren has put us through hell the past few weeks and we need some time away. I brought the idea of Vegas up to Justine and it just sounded like fun the more I thought about it.”

“Okay then. I’ll go and talk with Kit after I get off work tonight.” Dawn said, happily. She hugged each of the girls. “Thanks.”

Through her shift, Dawn could hardly concentrate. She stood at the grilling station, listening to the small boom box she’d picked up and placed on the shelf. Manny the manager wasn’t too happy with it, but the other employees had said that having the music was nice, so he allowed it, provided it wasn’t too loud.

So Dawn manned the cooktop bobbing back and forth as  _Back In the Saddle_  by Aerosmith wafted out of the speakers. She, however, was offering her own rendition along with the accompanying melody. “I’m baaaack. I’m back at the griddle again.” She sang as she flipped the patties.

“You look like you’re having a little too much fun, Summers,” Manny said as he stepped up beside her.

She moved over and bumped him with her hip. “I’m an integral part of the Doublemeat experience, Manny, my man. What’s not to be happy about?” She pirouetted in place and tossed two more patties on the grill, tapping the timer. “Cause for celebration. And hey.” She pointed to the radio. “Aerosmith.”

He stared at her a moment and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Carry on, then.” He said. “Oh…” He turned back to her. “Your sister called and said you’d need tomorrow, Friday and Monday off.”

Dawn nodded. Buffybot had set it up that she was going to Los Angeles to see her father last minute. “Yeah. Dad needs us to come down for a few days.”

“I’ve made the appropriate changes. I’m sorry it won’t be paid time off.” The man showed as much emotion as a traffic cone…that was bored out of its mind.

“That’s alright. I’ll just have to pick up some extra shifts to make up for it.” Dawn said, smiling.

“I’m glad to hear that.” He said. “Carry on.” He moved away, leaving her to resume her cooking.

Eight o’clock rolled around and she took off like a shot. She changed out of her uniform and sped all the way to Kit’s house. She climbed out of her car and trotted to the front door. She hit the doorbell and bobbed on her feet as she waited for her girlfriend. The door opened to reveal Kit’s mother. Dawn saw where Kit got her looks. The woman was a very tall statuesque brunette with large, obviously fake boobs, bright hazel eyes, and a perpetual smile. “Hey, Mrs. Holburn. Is Kit home?”

“Hello, Dawn. Yes, she’s in her room.” She stepped aside, letting the girl in. “And please, call me Vanessa.”

Dawn always found it strange when her friends’ parents wanted her to call them by name. Janice’s mother was that way, but Dawn never did. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it. But somehow, Vanessa didn’t bring that out in her. Mainly because, despite the fact that the woman was thirty-six years old, she looked like she wasn’t any older than Buffy was before she passed away. “Thank you, Vanessa.”

The woman gave her a warm, welcoming smile. “My girlfriend had a hard day and is taking a nap so try not to make too much noise, okay?” She asked, giving Dawn a wink.

It actually kind of creeped Dawn out. “Um…okay.” She bit her lip and decided to go for broke. “Things have been kind of rough at our house lately and Faith, Tara, and Willow were thinking of taking a vacation over the weekend.”

“Were you going to ask if Kit could stay over?” Vanessa asked. The grin never left her face.

“Sort of,” Dawn said. “I was actually going to ask if you’d be willing to let Kit take Friday and Monday off of school to go to Las Vegas for a few days.”

Vanessa simply stared at Dawn. “Who’s all going?”

“It’ll be me and Kit if you’ll allow it. Faith, Tara, and Willow. My sister’s friend Xander and his fiancé Anya. William, an old friend of the family and his new girlfriend, Justine.”

The woman continued to stare, then grinned even wider. “That is so romantic.” She hugged the girl. “Of course she can go with you. That sounds like it would be a wonderful time.”

Dawn couldn’t have been more surprised if she tried. She was sure that she would have to do some kind of convincing. The fact that the woman agreed, just like that, was something she’d never expected. And as such, she was stricken speechless.

“Go tell her the good news,” Vanessa said, ushering Dawn down the hall toward the girl’s room.

She made her way and reached Kit’s door. She knocked lightly. A moment later, the brunette answered, smiling brightly. “Hey.” She said, happily. She was always glad to see Dawn.

“I um…yeah it was strange. I just talked to your mom about something.” Dawn said, still somewhat shocked.

“About what?” Kit asked as she moved over and sat on her bed.

Dawn took the spot next to her. “You know things have been kind of hectic the past few weeks.” Kit nodded, and the girl continued. “Well, Faith, Tara, and Willow started planning for a small vacation. Just a few days away from Sunnydale. They asked me to invite you.”

“To go where?” Kit asked, curiously.

“You’re never gonna believe this,” Dawn said, turning toward her and taking her hands. “Las Vegas.”

“Las Vegas…Nevada?” Kit asked, dumbfounded.

“No, Las Vegas, Alaska.” She giggled. “Yes, Las Vegas, Nevada. All expenses paid. Faith got a huge bonus from the construction job that she and Xander were working on and she’s willing to foot the bill.”

“But…we have school.” Kit said.

Dawn shook her head. “Your mom already said you could take the time off. We were going to leave Thursday night and drive straight through. It’s something like a six-hour drive.”

“And my mom agreed to this?” Kit asked. She was excited, but she didn’t wanna get her hopes up. Yes, her mother was the kind of woman that let her do pretty much what she wanted, but this was something completely different. Dawn nodded excitedly. Kit rose from her bed and moved to her door, pulling it open. “Mom? Can you come in here for a minute?” She turned back to Dawn. “I just wanna make sure. I mean, I trust you, but I have to ask for myself.”

“No, that’s cool. I had to make sure that I understood what Faith was asking me when she first told me.”

Vanessa came to the door a few seconds later. “Did Dawn tell you?”

“Yeah. I just wanted to make sure you knew what she meant.”

“She’s inviting you to have a weekend in Las Vegas with her and her family,” Vanessa said. She reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out a thick wad of cash. “Here. Have fun. Enjoy yourself.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that Mrs.…” She stopped herself. “Vanessa. Faith is actually willing to foot the bill.”

“Well, this will help.” The woman said. It was obvious she wasn’t willing to take no for an answer. “Tell you what?” She looked from one girl to the other. “Why don’t you stay at Dawn’s tonight and take tomorrow off. Make sure to pack for a few days.”

The girls looked at each other, smiling. Kit threw her arms around Vanessa. “Thanks, mom.”

“Well, I wasn’t able to do anything really special for you on your birthday. This might help make up for that.”

“You bought me a thousand dollar mountain bike, mom.” Kit said, raising an eyebrow.

“Dawn’s sister bought her a car for her sweet sixteen,” Vanessa explained. “I was too busy being depressed to pay attention to my daughter.”

Dawn stared at Vanessa a moment. She then giggled. “You just want the house to yourself with your girlfriend, don’t you?”

“Guilty.” She said, smiling. “But that’s no reason why we can’t kill two birds with one stone, right? Besides, you’re going to have plenty of adult supervision from the sounds of it.”

“So should I pack a bag?” Kit asked, giddy.

Vanessa looked at her with a huge grin. “Are you still here?”

Twenty minutes later, Dawn and Kit were in her Volkswagen heading toward Dawn’s house. “This is gonna be a wonderful weekend.” The younger Summers said, happy as a clam.

“I’ve never been to Las Vegas before.” Kit said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“How much money did she hand you?” Dawn asked her.

Kit pulled the stack out of her backpack and counted it. “Looks like…eighteen hundred dollars.”

“Your mom just happened to have eighteen hundred bucks chillin’ in her wallet?” Dawn asked, incredulously.

“She always keeps a nice amount of cash on hand. Not sure why.”

“In case her daughter wants to go to Vegas with her girlfriend, apparently.”

Kit chuckled. “Good a reason as any.”

“Now here’s to hoping Faith, Willow and Tara are willing to let me take tomorrow off.”

“I don’t think they’ll have a problem. Just tell them that you’d like the time to pack.” Kit said.

Dawn nodded. It was a reasonable request. And come to find out, the three girls were perfectly willing to let her. She and Kit both went to bed after having a late dinner. But neither girl could sleep a wink.

Las Vegas was calling and they were going to answer in less than twenty-four hours. It was going to be a weekend to remember.

Sin City wasn’t going to know what hit it.

 


	64. Chapter 64

 

Willow trotted to the front door just as the doorbell had finished ringing. She pulled it open to see Fred and Charles standing on the front porch. She smiled and stepped aside. “Thanks for coming.”

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Fred said, softly. The pair hugged fondly. “You remember Charles.” She said, motioning to the muscular young man beside her.

“‘Sup Wills?” He said, pulling her in. “Y’all hitting Vegas, huh?”

“Yeah. It was Faith’s idea. After Justine got hurt, she decided that we all needed a vacation.” Willow said, moving over to sit on the chair.

“I hear that. How’s Spike takin’ it?” He asked, taking a seat beside Fred on the sofa.

“Surprisingly well. He’s not the raving lunatic I thought he’d be.” Willow said. “Not gonna deny that I thought, with his chip being gone he’d be…”

“Different?” Fred asked. At Willow’s nod, the mousy nerd offered her own. “Angel was worried for a while.”

“So we were, I’m not gonna lie,” Willow said. “But he’s just been…Spike. The carefree scamp he’s always been.”

Charles laughed. “Carefree scamp.” He had to wipe his eyes. “Damn, girl. You straight up farm fresh and wholesome, ain’t you?”

“Well, he is,” Willow said, again. “Don’t make fun.”

He shook his head and held his hand up. “Sorry. I couldn’t help it.”

Tara emerged from the kitchen. “Hey, Fred. Hi, Charles.” She said, hugging both guests. “Are either of you hungry or thirsty?”

“I can always eat,” Charles said. “We all got spoiled as hell when you came down for Christmas.”

“Fred?” Tara asked, smiling.

“Yes, please.” She returned.

“Come on,” Tara said, motioning for them to follow. She led them into the kitchen. “Do either of you like homemade burritos?”

“I was born in Texas,” Fred said. “I love Mexican food.” Charles simply nodded.

“Do either of you want Sriracha?” She asked as she dished up. Both of them nodded.

Tara had already browned the massive amount of ground beef. She added seasoning and proceeded to craft two large burritos for Charles and a more moderately sized meal for Fred.

Faith chose that moment to come in from the garage. She offered her fist to Charles and hugged Fred. “Thanks for makin’ the trip.”

“It’s a chance to get away from Mr. Mom and the cleaning Nazi,” Charles responded. “Ever since Connor came into the picture, Cordy’s been a nag.”

“She just doesn’t want you leaving your weapons all over the hotel, Charles,” Fred said, sharply. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I didn’t say there was anything wrong with her being a nag, I was just voicing that she  _was_  one. Never said she didn’t have a good reason.”

“Spoken like a typical guy.” Faith said. She took the plate of burritos that Tara made her. “Do they have…”

“Yes, I put Sriracha in yours,” Tara said.

Faith leaned in and kissed her. “Thanks, baby.” She quickly repeated the gesture with Willow. She then leaned against the counter and began devouring her lunch.

“This is gonna be awesome as heck,” Dawn said as she made her way into the kitchen. “Oh, hey Fred, hey Gunn.” She hugged both of them. “This is my girlfriend Kit. This is Fred and Charles Gunn. They’re friends from Los Angeles.”

The girl shook hands. “It’s nice to finally meet you.” She said, sheepishly.

Fred was pleased as punch to meet the girl, but Charles simply stared at Dawn a moment. “I didn’t know you were into girls.”

“Yeah. After the last boy, I was with wanted to eat me…” She sighed. “That sounded a lot less disturbing in my head.”

“Usually does.” Faith piped in.

“I get it. Boy was gettin’ fresh with you, even though he wasn’t fresh at all.” Charles said. “Yeah, that’d turn me off, too.” He took Kit’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Good to see Dawn’s got taste. But you should know. She my homegirl. I can’t have people messin’ with her heart, you feel me?”

“I know, I know. I break her heart I die a slow and painful death.” Kit said. She’d gotten the same lecture from just about everyone. With the exception, strangely of Spike. She’d come down late last night for a snack and he was sitting on the back steps smoking a cigarette. They talked for a while. She remembered the conversation quite well.

 

“A bit peckish, love?” Spike asked from the porch.

Kit turned toward him, startled. She hadn’t noticed that door was open. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

“S’alright.” He took another drag. “There’s still Pizza in the fridge, I think.”

Kit opened it up and reached in for the box. She pulled a couple slices of Pepperoni out and put the box back. She considered heating it up and shrugged, taking a bite as she leaned back against the counter.

He finished his cigarette and dropped the butt on the ground as he stood. He ground it beneath his boot heel and went back in the house, closing the door behind him. He moved over to the sink, causing her to move away from him. “Relax, bint. I’m not gonna hurt ya.”

“I know, but…” Kit wasn’t sure what to say to him. The simple fact was he was a vampire. That freaked her out.

“I make you uneasy,” Spike said, taking a swig of the mouthwash. He worked it around in his mouth for a full minute before spitting it into the sink. “Gah. That stings.” He said, shaking his head. He turned and crossed his arms, staring at her. “So  _you’re_ the one.” He offered.

“What do you mean?” She asked, furrowing her brow. “The one, what?”

“The one that’s gonna try and tame the next generation of Summers.” Spike elaborated. “Some people believe this family’s women are cursed, bint.”

“What do you mean, cursed?” Kit was suddenly very, very nervous.

“Let’s just say that relationships don’t end well for the Summers women. Joyce’s marriage fell apart, landing them all here. She dated one bloke after she moved here and he turned out to be a homicidal serial killer robot. Then you have Buffy. Girl’s had a string of men that couldn’t handle what she was, what she’d be called on to do. None of them could hack it.” He smiled. “And now you’re steppin’ into the ring.” He shook his head. “Not sure whether to applaud you for your courage, or laugh at you for your ignorance.”

Kit suddenly realized, she wasn’t hungry anymore. She’d never really thought about it. He was right, Joyce and Buffy had the world’s most horrible luck when it came to relationships. Was Dawn fated to be the same way?

“Nickels worth of free advice. Feel free to take it or not.” Spike said, making his way out of the kitchen. “Dawn’s a Summers. In all the years I’ve known this family, I’ve only ever seen two things the Summers women do better than anyone in my entire time on Earth. One, they fight harder than anyone else for what’s theirs. If you work your way into their hearts, you’re there for life. You’ll never be forgotten, you’ll never be left alone. You’ll have to move to the darkest part of the world to escape them. And they’ll run headlong into the jaws of death to protect ya. Two, they love with a fire and a passion that you literally will not find anywhere else. When they fall in love with you, they do it hard. They pull you in and they make you feel so good that it almost hurts.” He stepped closer to her. She didn’t pull away. “There’s going to come a time when being with Dawn is going to be hard. It’ll be terrifying. It’ll be painful. You’ll face down monsters and demons and who knows what. But if you stand by her, if you open your heart to her, you will never,  _ever_  regret it. She’s a once in a lifetime find, she is. And when all is said and done, she’ll reward your love, Kit. She’ll be the kind of woman that will grow old with you. She’ll be everything you’ve ever wanted.” He patted her shoulder. “Enjoy your pizza.”

He left the kitchen and went upstairs. Kit stood for a moment, thinking.

“What did he want?” Dawn asked as she bobbed into the kitchen. “You gonna eat that?” She asked, taking the slice of pizza from Kit’s hand and taking a bite. Kit just stared at her, not sure what to say. “You okay?” Dawn asked her, somewhat nervous. “What did he say?”

Kit moved over, pushing Dawn against the refrigerator. She took the pizza from her hand and tossed it on the counter. She then kissed her girlfriend with fierce enthusiasm. She didn’t say a word. And as her hands began caressing Dawn’s slender, yet curvaceous frame, the taller girl realized that she didn’t have to.

 

As they were preparing, Kit moved up to Faith. “I’m sorry, I should have given this to you yesterday.” She said, handing the girl the roll of money that her mother had given her. “This should ease the trip a little bit.”

Faith was surprised but took the roll. She quickly counted it out. “There’s eighteen hundred bucks here.”

“My mom wanted me to give it to you. She said that she didn’t think it was right you paying for everything.”

“That’s…pretty damn cool of her, to be honest.” Faith said. “What is your mom a drug dealer or something?”

“No. She’s loaded from the divorce from my dad. She got half his shit. Now she paints naked pictures of her girlfriend and does internet porn on the side.” Kit said, unabashedly.

“You don’t seem embarrassed by it.”

Kit pulled out her phone and showed Faith a picture of her mother and her girlfriend at the beach in bikinis. “Nothing to be ashamed of. She looks good. Nothing wrong with admitting it.”

“Jesus.” Faith said. She then looked Kit up and down. “Now I see where you get it.” She then rolled the money up and handed it back to her. “But go ahead and hang onto it. Spending cash.”

Kit smiled brightly at her. “Thanks. And thanks for inviting me along.”

“No problem. You’re a part of the family, K. Better get your shit packed. We’re gonna be hitting the road soon.”

The girl nodded and ran back into the house and up the stairs.

The sun finally dipped below the horizon of the majestic Pacific Ocean. The city of Sunnydale was once again plunged into the world of shadow and mystery. The darkness became a living breathing thing. The creatures of the night stirred, looking to creep.

A strange pall descended over the town.

And was immediately shattered. The sleepy California town was suddenly alive…with the sounds of horsepower.

Faith, at the wheel of her Roadrunner, with Tara riding shotgun and Willow relaxing in the back seat, led the charge. Justine was behind her in what Spike and Xander had both lovingly dubbed her ‘Darth Vader Edition’ Chevelle with Spike beside her. They had the top down and were loving it. She’d tied a do-rag about her head to not get the shit beat out of her by her own hair. Spike’s hair, as always, was perfect.

Xander came next driving his brand new Charger. He had the sunroof back to let in the warm air. His fiancé was in the passenger seat beside him. She looked so incredibly happy. When he’d first asked her to marry him, he had to admit that it wasn’t exactly a decision he was in his right mind to make. He was just so glad to be alive that he popped the question. He didn’t really think about it.

Since then, he’d had plenty of time to consider it. There were times that he thought he must have been crazy and wanted nothing more than to just pack up and leave. But…he never did. He always found a reason to stay with her. He knew it wasn’t just the sex. That was fantastic, he wasn’t going to argue with that, but there were other things. Simple things that Anya did that just captivated him. She genuinely cared for him. Yes, she had habits that he didn’t like, but at the same time, she had a host of good habits too. She didn’t mind cooking. She wasn’t necessarily good at it, but she tried. And she was learning. She had no problem cleaning up around the apartment. She accepted that he worked far harder than she did and understood that housekeeping wasn’t so much a ‘woman’s job’ as it was the place of the person that didn’t spend all day on their feet lugging sheetrock and girders.

He smiled at her as she looked about happily. “I love you, Anya.” He said to her. He couldn’t help it.

She looked at him. Her face was happily content. “I love you, too Xander. Are we going to be able to do this a lot when we are married?”

“Go to Vegas?” He asked. “No. No, we will not.  _But_ , I see no reason why we couldn’t take at the very least a nice road trip up the coast for a night or something.”

She smiled at him. “I’d like that.”

Bringing up the rear of their little convoy was Dawn in her Volkswagen. Kit rested beside her and was quite excited. She was set to have the best weekend of their life.

She was very, very eager to finish what she initiated with Dawn last night in the kitchen. Dawn was into it, she could tell, but the girl called a stop to it, all the same. She understood why she really did. It was very sudden and that isn’t how Dawn said she wanted their first time to be. So, they both agreed that they would wait until they got to Vegas and the hotel. Then they would have nothing to stop or interrupt them. Then, from what Dawn had said, all bets would be off.

Kit couldn’t wait.

The four cars blasted out of Sunnydale, taking scenic Highway 101. Faith set the pace, keeping the speed up to about eighty. Yes, she could have done faster, as could every rig in their convoy, but she saw no reason to draw too much unnecessary attention. She rested her arm on the window and her hand on the wheel, letting the miles tick by. The stereo was playing  _Empire_  by Queensryche – at Willow’s request, strangely enough – and they were just enjoying the open road.

Faith’s first love was always going to be slaying. It was a part of who she was. She figured that had to apply to all slayers. She seemed to be at a place of Zen when she fought the undead and the demons.

But with that said, there was something to be said about a good old-fashioned road trip. She loved to drive. Just being behind the wheel was soothing. She concentrated on the road and let the big muscle car eat the miles. She checked the fuel gauge and sighed. “That would be the problem with driving a big block long distance.”

Tara looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

“We just turned off of highway onto State Route 126 and I’m just drinking gas.” Faith said. She reached over and lifted the mic from the CB Radio and keyed it up. “Hey, X-man. Just outta curiosity what kind of mileage you getting outta that thing?”

“Just a second.” He said in return. “Right now, according to the display, I am getting a whopping twenty miles to the gallon.”

“Damn. That’s kind of impressive.” Faith returned. “What about you Topless?”

“Shit. I’m lucky to be getting twelve to fifteen in this beast.” Justine returned. “You ain’t much better, are you?”

“Nope. Fifteen even.” Faith said. “Little D? What about you?”

“I’m actually getting thirty-one, according to my electronics,” Dawn said, proudly. “I can make the entire trip on one tank of gas.”

“Yeah, I think Topless and I are gonna have to hit a pit stop before we get there.” Faith said before hanging up the microphone. She settled back and continued driving. It was just after six PM when they left Sunnydale. Currently, it was ten minutes after eight. As they blew past the ‘Now Entering Victorville’ sign, she lifted and keyed the CB. “Hey, ladies and gents. I say we pull over to grab some food and to get some gas. That way we won’t have to stop until we hit Sin City.”

“Sounds good.” “Gotcha.” “10-4.” Justine, Xander, and Dawn said respectively. The four rigs pulled off State Route 18 and onto Park Avenue. Faith rumbled to a stop at the Arco just down the road from the highway.

After some good-natured ribbing, the drivers gassed up while everyone else used the restroom and grabbed libation for the trip.

“Where did you wanna get food? Or were you thinking of snacks and stuff?” Willow asked.

“Anyone have a problem with Taco Bell?” Faith asked.

“I don’t know. I’ll ask.” The redhead said, bouncing away to get a consensus. Faith watched her and giggled. She was so cute. A few minutes later, she came back. “Everyone’s okay with that.”

Faith nodded. “Cool. I know there’s one over on Kentwood.”

“How do you know that?” Willow asked.

“I researched our route.” Faith said. “I’m more than just a pretty face.”

“I know.” The girl said, smiling.

Twenty minutes later, they’d finished up at the gas station and made their way inside the Taco Bell for some dinner. Faith just made it easy and ordered a ten pack of tacos and a soda. Xander followed suit and got a half soft and half crispy order for him and Anya to share. Justine, like Faith, got one for herself and asked if Spike wanted anything. He chuckled and decided on a pair of burrito supremes. Dawn and Kit both followed Xander and Anya’s example and got a half and half pack. Willow and Tara both opted for the Taco Salad.

The food was about what they’d expect from a Taco Bell. It was greasy, it was salty and it was delicious.

They made pleasant small talk, all revolving around what they planned to do when they got to the city. Loaded up with cheap Mexican food, they were back on the road.

Faith put her foot down and kept it there. They were on Interstate 15 doing ninety miles an hour when they crossed the state line into Nevada.

“Where are we staying?” Tara asked as the glittering lights of Las Vegas came into view.

“You’ll see.” Faith said, happily.

Willow was giddy as could be. She’d only ever seen Las Vegas on television. She never realized how close they actually lived. It had taken them just over four and a half hours to drive. Which, in all honesty, wasn’t that far. “It’s so pretty.” She said. “Please, please,  _please_  tell me we’re staying at a hotel on the strip.”

Faith grinned widely but said nothing. She pulled the speed back as they entered the town. It was just past eleven when they drove onto the neon-lit, people filled lane known as ‘The Strip’. They all knew it was going to be beautiful, but none of them had expected this. With the exception of Spike. But even  _he_  was surprised at how much things had changed since his last visit.

“There we are, ladies.” Faith said, pointing. “The Mandalay Bay Resort. That’s where I booked us. Four rooms, all with king size beds.”

“Oh my god,” Willow said, breathing heavily. “Oh my god.” She said again. “I love you so much right now.”

“Just right now, huh?” Faith asked as she pulled off the strip into the front of the massive hotel. “Welcome to the most fun weekend of your life, ladies.”

Valet’s swarmed the cars, eagerly waiting to provide exemplary customer service. Given that each of them had only packed a single bag, they carried their own luggage.

They entered the elegantly appointed and spacious lobby and were blown away by the sheer testament to excess. None of them had ever even dared to believe they would set foot in a place so grandiose. Suddenly, to a person, they were all feeling a tad underdressed in their jeans, cargo pants and t-shirts. Faith led the troupe to the front desk. A young man with a very pleasant and welcoming expression was there to meet them. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. How can I help you tonight?”

“My name is Faith Lehane. I’ve got a reservation for four Deluxe King Suites. Four-night stay.” She pulled her ID out and handed it to him. She provided the confirmation number.

“Yes, is it Miss or Mrs.?” He asked, politely.

“Miss.” She said. She couldn’t help but smile.

“I have your reservation right here. Would you like the rooms together?”

“As close as you can get, yeah.” Faith said. “We’re family.”

“I understand.” He said with a cheerful tone. “Just one moment.” He typed away. “Okay, any minors?”

Faith motioned to Dawn and Kit. “These two are sixteen. They’ll be sharing a room.”

“Alright. We’ll have a staff member up to remove the alcohol from the bar. Would you like it restocked with any particular beverages? Complimentary with the room.”

“Um…” Dawn looked at Kit. “Some sodas would be cool. Not really picky. No diet, but other than that.”

“We’ll have a selection for you.” He offered. He entered a few more things into the system and pulled four key cards out. “Here you are. You’ve got full access to all the amenities of the resort. Only patrons 21 and older are allowed to gamble in the casino.” He said, making certain that they understand.

“Yeah…” Faith said, sighing. “We know.” She pointed to herself and the two youngest. “I’m only nineteen and you already know about these two.”

“I do. But don’t let that get you down.” He said, taking a couple of pamphlets from the counter. He also grabbed a coupon book from the table behind the desk. “This tells you everything that the hotel has to offer, besides gambling. This other is a quick guide to the strip. And this is filled with great deals that will save you a nice chunk of change.”

Faith took it and nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“You’re very welcome. Please, enjoy your stay.”

The group headed for the elevators. Faith handed out the key cards. “He gave everyone rooms with a view of the strip. Cool.”

“Right friendly chap,” Spike said. “Last time I was in this city, the Hacienda was still operational.”

“It’s so exciting. Everything is so pretty here.” Anya said. “We should have our wedding here.”

“No,” Xander said, instantly. He saw the look on Anya’s face and sighed. “Honey, let me put it to you this way. Just staying at the hotel, not counting what Faith’s spending in food, gas, and sightseeing, is more than I make in a month. Having a wedding here would be ridiculously expensive.”

She sighed and leaned against the wall of the elevator. “But it’s so pretty here.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Faith said, patting her shoulder. “Just because you can’t get married here don’t mean you can’t have your honeymoon here.”

Anya immediately perked up. “Can we?”

Xander looked at Faith with an appreciative smile, thanking her for the save. “Absolutely.” He said, pulling Anya in for a kiss.

Kit took Dawn’s hand and squeezed it. The younger Summers looked at her and gave her a warm smile. The party reached their floor and found the room that was to be their home for the next four nights.

Tonight, it was all about unwinding from the long drive.

Except for Spike and Justine. Thanks to the incredible amount of coffee, and the subsequent sleeping pill, she was as awake as her blonde undead boyfriend.

As everyone else decided to pack it in for the night, Justine looked at Spike with a wide grin. “How do you Vegas?”

“You sure you’re ready for that, love?” He asked with a smarmy smile.

“Try me.” She said back, wrapping her arms around his waist. “Show me the Sin City  _Spike_  came to see.”

“You got it.” He offered, kissing her passionately.

 


	65. Chapter 65

 

Justine chuckled lightly as she walked a couple steps behind Spike. The blonde vampire was up to his ears with frustration. For the past hour, they’ve moved from one hotel and casino to another. Spike continued to ask the clerk at the front desk for the ‘backroom’ or the ‘real game’ and each time he only got confused looks.

The last hotel, The Bellagio, had security escort the pair of them out. Justine was actually having a good time. Granted, part of it was because Spike was so irritated, but still, she was enjoying herself. “You know, Spike…” She began.

He lifted his hand to cut her off. “No.” He said, sharply. “You wanted the real action and I’m gonna bloody find it.”

“How long has it been since you were here, sweetie?” She asked him.

“Nineteen sixty-eight.” He answered. “Doesn’t really look that different, to be honest. Hotels are bigger.”

“That explains it,” Justine said, shaking her head.

Spike stopped and turned to look at her. “What do you mean?”

“The RICO act.” She said.

Spike cocked an eyebrow. “What does some bloke named Rico have to do with anything?”

“R-I-C-O. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act. It was signed into law by Nixon in nineteen seventy. Before the government swept through, I’m betting this town was corrupt as shit and there were backroom games everywhere. Now, a lot of the criminal element is gone. I can pretty much guarantee you that most of these places…” She indicated the hotels on the strip. “Are as straight-laced as they appear. There are pockets, sure, but not as many as there used to be.”

“I’m lookin’ for old friends and old haunts, love,” Spike said. “Not organized crime families.”

She crossed her arms. “Well, you’re not likely to find it at places like the Luxor, Excalibur and Circus Circus.” She shook her head. “Those are family places. Just like the joint, we’re staying at. You’ve gotta think older and more discreet. More than likely something off-strip.”

He leaned against a post and thought about it. “I think you might be right.” He looked at about and stopped, a smile slowly working across his lips. “I think I might have just found the game we were looking for.”

“Where?” Justine asked, looking about.

“The Flamingo.” He said, pointing. “Been open since late nineteen forty-six.” He looked at her. “Mate of mine runs it.”

“Is he human?” Justine asked as they began walking toward it.

“Of course not. I said he was a mate of mine, didn’t I? Never had a lot of human friends.” Spike said. “Tend to outlive most of ‘em anyway.”

“That’s eventually gonna be us, you know,” Justine said, somberly.

“Not tonight, it’s not.” He said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Tonight it’s all about the fun, love.”

“True.” She said, returning the embrace. “So what do you know about this guy?”

“He’s a vampire. Old one. Turned back in the early twelve hundreds. Managed to keep a pretty low profile, truth be told. Did a lot of traveling. Been in the states since before the Revolution. Not real sure what he did most of the time. I knew he came to Vegas back in the early forties. Worked with Bugsy Siegel as a troubleshooter while he was in Vegas. After old Bugs got shot, he’s been runnin’ the show ever since.”

“And that fact that this guy doesn’t age hasn’t caught anyone’s attention?” Justine asked.

“He does the whole faking his own death thing and signs everything over to his son.” Spike offered. “Not sure the finer points, but it’s a fair guess that he’s greased a lot of palms not to be noticed.”

“What’s his name?”

“Julian Eversoll.” He turned to her. “No matter what, never, ever call him Jules. He right hates that.”

“That’s a chick’s name, anyway,” Justine said. “Like calling a boy named Justin ‘Justy’. Good way to swallow your teeth.”

“Right, then.” He said, moving into the main lobby.

“You sure this guy is gonna remember you?” Justine said. “It has been a while.”

“Vampires have long memories, love,” Spike said, heading toward the front desk. “‘Ello mate.” He said to the man behind the counter. “This is gonna sound like a strange question, but I wouldn’t be able to speak to the owner, would I?”

The man raised an eyebrow. “May I ask why?”

“He’s an old friend of mine. Tell him ‘Spike’ is here to speak with him. He’ll remember me.”

“Um…” The clerk said, seeming somewhat confused. “President of Operations of the Flamingo is a woman.”

“What happened to Julian Eversoll?” Spike asked.

“He passed away a year ago. The hotel and duties of President of Operations and personal controlling interest of the hotel fell to his daughter, Renee.”

“Renee?” Spike asked. “Renee… _Whelan_?”

The clerk nodded. “That’s her. Do you know her?”

The vampire nodded. “Aye, I do. Would you be willing to tell her I’m here?”

He lifted the phone and dialed a number. “I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am. I have someone here named Spike. He said you know him.” The man nodded a couple of times. He then looked Spike over. He finally shook his head. “No. He’s wearing a long leather trenchcoat, but all the rest matches.” He paused a moment. “I’ll have him wait here.”

“I heard,” Spike said, leaning against the desk. He turned to Justine. “Told you I knew people.”

She gave him a nod. “Yeah, you do.” She said, impressed. A few minutes later, four large gentlemen in matching black suits, sunglasses with earpieces came out of an elevator.

Spike smiled and stepped forward. “Good evening, gentlemen.” They motioned toward the elevator without a word. He nodded and made his way with Justine right behind. “You boys local?” He asked. They continued to keep silent. He gave Justine a look that told her he might have made a mistake. She simply sighed. She wasn’t exactly surprised.

The elevator came to a stop. Two men took Spike by the arms and lifted him up, carrying him from the lift, leaving Justine alone with the remaining two men. One of them reached over and tapped the button to close the doors and tapped another floor.

“I suppose it’s not really gonna get me an answer, but I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask. Where are you taking him and where are you taking me?”

“The Boss.” Left side goon offered.

“Holding.” Right side added.

“Is this the part where I should be scared that I’m gonna get the shit whooped outta me?” She asked.

“Do you plan on being difficult?” Right side asked.

“Would it do any good?” She asked him. “You guys human?” They both turned and looked at her. In unison, they pulled their sunglasses down revealing bright green lizard-like eyes. “Those…aren’t contacts are they?” The pair let out a deep earthy growl that shook her chest. “I didn’t think so. Demons?”

“Half.” Left side said as they put their glasses back on. “Be good and you’ll walk out of this alive.”

She swallowed. Suddenly, she wished she was asleep in her hotel room. She really wasn’t having fun anymore.

Spike was deposited in front of a pair of large double doors. The goons each took a doorknob and pushed the doors open. They then shoved him into the room. He stopped and took it all in. All of the walls were lined with screens showing various live feeds of the floor, the halls, and the public areas. There was a large conference table in the middle of the room that seemed to have computer terminals at various intervals. At the head of the table was a high back leather chair that sat facing away from him. “Blofeld, I presume?” Spike asked.

Slowly, the chair turned to reveal a rather fetching redhead woman with broad shoulders, a thick, muscular build with piercing green eyes. She rose to her feet and began walking around the table toward him. Her eyes burned with an inner fire that he was all too familiar with. What really struck him was the very ornate and intricate bracers about her wrists and the finely crafted choker around her neck. Her pale skin was a sharp contrast to the black sleeveless blouse and short black leather skirt she wore. Even in the four-inch heels of the knee-high leather boots she donned, she couldn’t have been more than five and a half feet. “I’ve been waitin’ a long time for this, Spike.” She said with a thick Scottish brogue.

“Last time I saw you, you wasn’t but a teenage girl.” He looked her up and down. “Finally turned you, did he?”

She shook her head. “Oh, no.” She said, smiling. “I’m completely human.” She stopped in front of him. “I’m not who ye might be thinkin’ I am. The woman you met was me mother, Renee Marigold Whelan.” She shook her head. “I’m Renee Carissa Whelan. Julian told me ye might be showin’ up again sooner or later.” With a rapid speed he hadn’t expected, she gripped his throat and turned, bending him backward over the table. He grabbed her wrist and tried to pry her hand off his throat. “And that when ye did, I was supposed to kill ye.”

“What for?” Spike asked, confused. “I didn’t do anything to either of you.”

“See, that’s not true,” Renee growled. “You an’ that crazy nutjob ye was wanderin’ about with took somethin’ pretty damn special to him.”

“I didn’t take nothin’ from either of you,” Spike said, still trying to pry her hand off his throat.

“That’s where ye’re wrong, Spike.” She pulled him forward, staring him in the eyes. “Ye’ve been just movin’ about, killin’ and slaugherin’ people left and right. One of them’s ye killed was me mother. Ye see Julian was in love with her. Sent her on a holiday to Los Angeles to do some shoppin’ and have some fun. You and that crazy bitch dragged her out of her car and ye bled her dry.”

“How do you know it was me?” Spike asked. “She coulda been killed by anybody.”

“Aye. I grant ye that.” She said. She turned and tossed him into a chair, causing it to roll across the floor. She then walked over and opened a large metal gun safe that sat in the far corner. The inside of the case was littered with weapons. She gripped the haft of a large two-headed axe. “But ye see, all doubt was removed about a year ago.” She turned to look at him. “That bitch came back through town. Makin’ a general nuisance of herself. All cryptic bullshit and strange verse. Just like she was back in the day.”

Spike was suddenly quite afraid. There was something about the girl that was sending shivers up and down his spine. “Wh-what does that have to do to with anything?”

“Because she talked, Spike. She came here. She talked with me dad. Said that I looked just like me mother. I asked her what she was talkin’ about. That’s when she said that she and you bled her. Took her right out of that fancy red sports car and killed her. She even remembered the day. Said it was Halloween.” Renee stopped and rested the axe on her shoulder. “Ye see, that’s when we knew it was mom that she was talkin’ about. For two reasons. One, we got called November 2nd, 1988 to go to Los Angeles and identify her body. I was four years old. I still remember seein’ her on the slab. Cold and lifeless. It was one of me first memories. And the second was because mom drove a candy apple red Ferrari 328 GTS. And when we saw the car, it looked like it had been torn open like a tuna can.”

“Dru ratted us out?” Spike was surprised by that. Drusilla was many things, but stupid isn’t one of them. “Why would she do that?”

“So ye’re not denyin’ it?” Renee asked him.

“I’ve killed a lot of people, bint. I don’t remember ‘em all. Wish I did, but I don’t. And her bein’ in a fancy red sports car isn’t exactly narrowin’ it down.”

Renee again gripped the axe and stalked toward him. “When dad found out, he went mad. Tried killin’ her. Beat her down, he did. Made her bleed nice and heavy for what she did to mom. But that bitch got lucky. Dusted him and ran off. I wasn’t strong enough a year ago to kill her. But I’m more than strong enough to take you out now.” She stopped and reached over to the table and tapped a button. “But not before we watch what happens to yer girlfriend.”

Spike looked up onto the monitor and saw Justine sitting in a chair in the middle of a barren room. “What are you gonna do with her?”

“Ye’re gonna know what it’s like to lose someone close,” Renee said.

Spike whirled on her. “No.” He said, panicking. “She’s human and wasn’t even with me when we killed your mum. You can’t punish her for something I did.”

“Me mother was innocent, too. But that didn’t stop ye now did it?”

He sighed and turned back to the screen. “Look. I know there’s nothing I can say or do that’s gonna save my own neck. I wish I could tell you something about your mum. That she put up a good fight or somethin’ like that, but I honestly don’t remember her, pet. Not sayin’ I didn’t do her in. It’s possible. Dru always had a better memory about that sort of stuff than I did.” He turned to look at her. “I hurt you, girl. I deserve to be hurt in kind. Fair is fair.” He pointed to the screen. “But she wasn’t even born yet when what I did to your mum went down. You can’t blame her for it. Yes, she’s right special to me, but that’s not excuse enough to just off her. That’s something evil bastards do. Trust me, I’m an expert on the subject. But killing innocent girls isn’t something someone who’s just pissed off does.” He looked at Renee. “That’s not your style, doll.”

“And how would ye know that?” She asked. “Revenge can do strange things to people." She moved closer. “And I’ve been wanting revenge for my mother’s death for quite some time. Now that I know ye were responsible, I want to make ye hurt just like I did that night and every night since.”

“And I don’t blame you for that,” Spike said. “As matter of fact, I always knew it was only a matter of time before all that mess came back and bit me on the arse.” He shook his head. “But this isn’t the way to do it. You want me, that’s fine. I can live with that. But don’t hurt her. Kill me, I deserve it. But let her go.”

Renee stared at him. Rage boiled in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Renee. I really am. There’s no undoin’ the hurt that I caused you. If I could, right now I would, but…”

She growled and slammed the butt of the axe into his stomach, doubling him over and throwing him to the floor. “Don’t! Don’t ye even try apologizing you bastard. Ye’re a fuckin’ monster. Ye just kill people for fun and don’t care what happens to the people those deaths leave behind. It’s too late to look for forgiveness now.”

He struggled to his feet. “You’re right. It’s far too late for that.” The pain in his gut was incredible. He couldn’t honestly remember when he’d been hit so hard. “If you wanna kill me then do it. Just please, I’m beggin’ you, don’t hurt Justine.” Tears slid down his cheeks. “She’s got nothin’ to do with anything between us.”

Renee swung the axe, opening a channel across his abdomen. “Ye don’t care about her! Ye can’t!”

He staggered back, hitting the edge of the table. “I do care about her. I love her.”

Renee roared and attacked with the axe. Spike moved out of the way as the girl buried the weapon into the table. She was struggling to pull it free.

He moved in and wrapped his arms around her, trying to subdue her. It proved to be a huge mistake. She pulled her arms free and reached back, gripping his hair with both hands. She then pulled him forward, throwing him over the table. He rolled across the surface and to the floor. “Bad idea.” He said, coming to a stop on the floor against the wall. He sat up to see her leap off the table at him. Sheer adrenaline allowed him to do what he did next. He shot from the floor and hurled himself at her, catching her in the stomach and driving her back to the table. He stared down at her. He suddenly felt pain rack his gut. He looked down to see her driving her hand into the wide cut across his midsection.

“They say that quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Might be something to that.” She growled.

He leapt away from her, holding his stomach. She was right there with him. She ran, grabbing his waist and driving him back against the wall. She hammered him with body shots, one right after the other. He felt ribs break and shatter with every strike. The girl, for reasons that completely escaped him, was beyond human strong. And her speed was blinding. If he didn’t know better he almost believed she was a slayer. He simply covered up and did his best not to get beaten into a paste.

Renee pounded him relentlessly. Her fists were like sledgehammers. She finally stepped back, looking at him. He was bloody and bruised but offered no resistance. She growled and drew back, drilling him across the face, knocking him to the floor. “Fight back, ye bastard.”

He slowly got to his feet. He looked at her enraged face. “No.” He said, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. This is the only way I know to apologize.” She landed another shot to the dome, hurling him back to the carpet.

“I said don’t apologize to me!” She roared. “Ye killed her. Murdered her!” She slammed a hard kick into his abdomen. “Ye bled her dry and left her corpse in an alley.” She stepped back and stared at him.

“I wish I hadn’t,” Spike said, again, struggling to his feet. “I’d do anything to take it back. I really would. Things have changed girl. I’m not the vampire I was.”

“Then what kind of vampire are ye?” She asked.

“I wish I knew.” He said. “I’m a vampire that can regret. I can be sorry for what I done. I can love, and I know when I deserve what I get. Right now, I deserve this. From you, I deserve this. If you wanted to kill me, I wouldn’t stop you.”

She moved over and tore the axe free of the table. She hefted it in her hands. “Then get on yer knees. I’m not lettin’ you die on yer feet. Ye don’t deserve that.”

Spike, for his part, did as she asked. “Make me one promise. When you take my head and I’m dust, let Justine go. She wasn’t a part of this.”

Renee stared at him a moment, then nodded. “Close yer eyes.” She commanded. She gripped the axe just so. “Do yer best to remember her, Spike. I want you to see her eyes when you leave this world.”

“I remember you, bint. If Dru says you looked alike, it can be taken as read.” Spike closed his eyes and held his head up.

Renee growled and drew back the axe. “Goodbye, Spike. See ye in hell.” She swung.

Spike heard the whistle of the axe…and the hard impact of the weapon against the wall of screens. He sat there, on his knees waiting. Slowly he opened one eye, then the other. He turned to see the axe buried in the wall. Renee stood with her hands resting on the table. She was visibly trembling. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. “Bring her up.” She said, before putting the phone away. She just stood there, silently for several minutes. “Damn ye.” She said, her voice an enraged whisper. “Damn ye right to hell.”

Spike took a chance and rose to his feet.

She turned to regard him, anger in her eyes and tears staining her cheeks. “How fucking dare you. I wanted a fight, Spike. I need ye to be angry. I need ye to be a monster. I can’t kill ye if ye’re not. I want to. Do ye understand that? I want nothin’ more than to take me axe and bury it as far as I can in yer skull.” She shook her head. “But I can’t.”

“I really am sorry, Renee. I know you can’t believe that, but…I am. It hurts to know that I brought something like this on you. What’s worse is that I can’t remember her face. That makes it so much more… _impersonal_.”

“So even if I asked what her last words were, ye couldn’t tell me,” Renee said, sadly. The doors suddenly opened. Two large guards brought Justine in.

The girls’ eyes fell to Spike. She ran over and pulled him in for a hug, causing him to whimper. “My God.” She said, looking at him. Without warning, she launched herself at Renee.

The shorter redhead was caught off guard and slammed back against the table. Justine drew back and delivered a devastating right cross that split Renee’s lip and shot blood across the table. She pulled her fist back to punch the petite girl again. Her fist never made it. Renee caught the blow in mid-strike. The held it fast and took hold of Justine’s pants and belt and lifted her up and over to drop her onto the table. She then wrapped her hand about Justine’s throat. “I strongly suggest ye stop before I pull yer head off.” She gave a sharp squeeze to emphasize the fact that she was holding all the cards.

Justine for her part didn’t stop struggling. “Then you better start pulling, bitch.” She reached up and gripped Renee’s head, quickly jamming her thumb into the girl’s eye.

The redhead backed off a step, holding her face. “Bloody hell.” She said, fighting back the tears that were forming.

Justine acted without thinking. She got off the table and grabbed one of the rolling high-back chairs. She spun completely around and clubbed Renee with it as hard as she could. The impact broke the chair apart and knocked the girl to the floor. But Justine wasn’t done. She ran and, using all of her weight and strength, tore the axe free of the wall.

Renee was shocked by just how utterly ferocious the girl was. As her vision cleared, she moved to sit up and was forced back down as Justine landed hard upon her chest, pinning her shoulders down. She then took the axe and pushed it up under Renee’s neck. “I don’t give a damn how strong you are or how fast you are. You so much as fucking breathe in a way I don’t like and I push this blade through your fucking neck.”

“Let her go, Justine,” Spike said, staggering toward her.

“Not gonna fuckin’ happen,” Justine said.

“She earned the right to do this to me.” He moved over and rested a hand on her shoulder.

“What do you got against him?” Justine asked the other redhead. “Start talkin’ bitch.”

“He killed me mum. Him and that psycho bitch ‘o his.” Renee said. “Bled her and left her in the gutter.”

Justine stared into the haunted green eyes. “I lost my twin sister the same way. Never found the vamp that did it.”

“I did,” Renee said. “And…” She turned her head away. “I couldn’t do it.”

“I wouldn’t fight back,” Spike said, sadly. “She’s got every right to hate me, love. Lot of people do. Just because I can regret it now, doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy when I didn’t give a toss.”

Justine turned and looked down at Renee. “I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that you don’t deserve your revenge because you do. But you can’t kill him.” She pointed to Spike. “Because, no matter what he looks like now, and what he looked like then, he isn’t the same person. He’s not the same monster. Through his own force of will, he’s getting his soul back. He’s not a demon in a human suit. He’s human being. Just a dead one.”

Renee stared at her. “If you  _had_  found the vampire that took yer sister. And ye found that he was repentant…what would you do?”

“I would wanna kill the son of a bitch. And six months ago, I probably would have. But now? I’d have to know if he was really on the path of redemption. If I found out the truth, that he was trying to make up for past sins? I’d like to think I’d be able to be the bigger person. There’s really no way to know.” She rose to her feet and tossed the axe onto the table. “You wanna take him, you’re gonna have to go through me. Not sayin’ you can’t. Not even sayin’ you shouldn’t. But that’s the way it is.” Justine moved over and put Spike’s arm around her shoulder. “Now, I’m takin’ him outta here. You wanna try and stop us, that’s your business. But I love him and I’m not gonna let him get killed for something he did when he was a different man. As cheesy and cliché as that may sound.” With that, she began heading for the door.

“Stop,” Renee said, getting to her feet. The pair turned to look at her. “I’m givin’ ye this one fer free.” She moved over, taking the axe with her. “But understand this, now. Ye get a pass. But if I find that bitch, Drusilla, I’m gonna make it rain red.”

Spike looked at her and nodded. “I do have one question. How are you so strong?”

Renee stared at him a moment then tapped her bracers and her choker. “Kriger And.”

Justine didn’t understand what the girl said, but Spike knew exactly what she was getting at. “I gotcha.” He said. “I know this won’t really mean anything, but…if I can’t remember killin’ your mum, then she died quick. Didn’t suffer. I only really remember the dead I toyed with. The ones I spent a long time takin’. Dru only remembered because of you. She was like that. But your mum…I’m sorry. I wish you could believe that.”

Renee was left standing with the axe in her hand, fuming. She wanted him dead, she really did. But that would mean having to kill an innocent girl that didn’t really know what Spike was. That sudden realization hit her like a sledgehammer. She had that backwards. Justine knew  _exactly_ what Spike  _was_. And she was willing to lay her life down for him. Renee only remembered what Spike  _used_  to be. And she wanted that monster dead. She wanted to carve him up and leave him in the sun.

Sadly, it seemed that someone had beaten her to it.

Justine helped him out of the hotel, trying to make it quiet. She got them outside and flagged down a taxi. “Mandalay Bay.” She said to the cabbie. After they’d gotten back to the hotel, Justine went about patching Spike up. “So what the hell was that all about?”

“A dark past all caught up with me.” He said. “Look, pet. This whole relationship…”

“Don’t even fucking go there.” She said to him. “Don’t give me that whole ‘being around me is dangerous’ shit. I already knew that. You’re over a fucking century old. That’s gonna come with baggage.”

“She was going to kill you, Justine.” Spike blurted out. “Just to get to me, she was going to have you killed and force me to watch her do it.”

She stopped and looked at him. Her eyes were stone cold. “So…what?” She said, very slowly. “I don’t give a shit. And before you go throwing my fucking age in my face, I want you to understand something, Hoss. I may not be a hundred years old, but I’ve been through my fair share of shit. I’ve got the battle scars, same as you. I grew up looking after my sister because no one else would. She was goin’ to school gettin’ good grades and I was out breaking into apartments and doing everything I could to make sure we had a roof over our heads and food on our table. I’m a survivor Spike.” She leaned in and rested her forehead against his. “But there’s one thing I’ve learned that I would never survive.” She kissed him lightly on the lips. “Losing you.”

“We haven’t really known each other that long,” Spike said. He wasn’t arguing their love, just pointing out how rapidly it formed.

“Yeah, I know. Ain’t that a kick in the teeth?” She said. “I don’t care what you have looming in your past, Spike. You’ve made enemies. You’ve also made friends. You lived, you loved, you killed and you have a bloody good time doing it. But here, now, you’re not like that anymore. The fact that you just let that woman beat the shit out of you says as much in pretty grand fashion.”

“She was a hell of a scrapper, she was.” He admitted.

“Fuckin’ tell me about it. Like fighting with Faith when she’s pissed off.” Justine thought of something. “What did she say to you?”

“It was Norwegian. She said ‘Warrior’s Spirit’.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Did you see the armbands and the choker she was wearin’?” Justine nodded. “They’re magical. I’ve seen it only once before. Back just after I got turned. Some woman from France was wearing something like them. She was slayer strong but could take a lot more. Me, Dru, Darla and Angelus went head up on her.”

“Did you guys kill her?”

“Not so lucky, pet. She sent the four of us runnin’.”

“If she wants to take on this Drusilla, whoever the hell she is, then I almost feel sorry for Drusilla.”

“Me too, love.” Spike leaned back on the sofa. “Me too.”

 


	66. Chapter 66

 

 _There are a lot of things said out of turn about the city of Las Vegas_ , Tara thought to herself.  _Everything and everyone is for sale. That’s what they say. Anya seems to believe that more than anyone I’ve ever met. I can’t tell you how many shops we’ve walked into. But her reaction to the people makes it worth the trip._

Anya stormed along in front of the pair. Willow was smiling ear to ear. Tara was trying desperately to be more subtle about her mirth, but she still shared it with her redheaded lover. “These shopkeepers are stupid.” The ex-vengeance demon snapped. “I can’t believe how unreasonable they are. Or how dishonest.”

They’d just left a very high-end jewelry store. Anya loved anything that was shiny and expensive. But she also steadfastly refused to pay more than something was worth. She was always willing to make allowances for overhead and profit, but so far, as they moved from shop to shop, she’d purchased nary a single item. Their latest foray into the shop sporting charms that reached well into six figures, had severely dimmed Anya’s desire for the aptly named ‘Sin City’.

“That’s what happens when you make such a scene in a place like that,” Willow said.

“I was just being honest. If the proprietor were an honest man, he wouldn’t have been offering fake merchandise.” Anya said, angrily. “I don’t charge people premium prices for faulty or phony magic artifacts. He should offer his customers the same courtesy.”

“You told everyone in the store that all of his rings were fake,” Tara said. “Whether they were or not, it wasn’t exactly the right thing to do.”

“Then whoever coined the phrase ‘honesty is the best policy’ should be flayed alive and have their remains devoured by a Ghora Demon.” Anya spat, sharply. “Because wherever I go, no one wants to hear the truth. They just want you to lie to make themselves and everyone else feel better.”

Willow giggled. “Imagine how you would feel if someone came into the magic box and started driving your customers away.”

“I would be upset,” Anya said. “But I wasn’t trying to drive his customers away. I was simply telling them the truth.” She turned to the pair. “I would not have been mad if he was charging less for his wares. But he was selling polished glass and fake gems for the price one pays for  _actual_  precious stones. That and the location he was touting that his stones came from was a lie, even if they were real.”

“Just out of curiosity…” Tara began. “How do you know so much about gemology?”

“I spent several decades with a woman in Antwerp that was a gemologist in the late eighteen hundreds,” Anya said with a touch of sadness.

“Were you close?” Willow asked.

Anya nodded. “She knew what I was but didn’t care. She said that she knew plenty of men that needed to learn how to treat a lady. She never made a wish, but she was very enjoyable to be around. I liked her very much.”

“Were you…lovers?” Willow asked her. She was surprised to learn that Anya while being a full-on vengeance demon, could be friends with anyone.

“That is none of your business.” The woman said. “But I was friends with her until she died in 1952.” She sighed and lowered her head, wrapping her arms about herself as she walked. “I still find myself missing her sometimes.”

“Have you ever told Xander about her?” Tara asked.

She nodded. “He knows. He doesn’t mind it. He doesn’t really mind a lot of my past.”

“You really love him, don’t you?” Willow asked. There was a very, very small part of her that was, and probably always would be jealous of Anya. The woman found a place in Xander’s heart that she, herself would never be. Granted, there was really no spark between the longtime friends, but that didn’t quench the love she felt for him. She wouldn’t for a moment mistake the happiness the pair shared when they were together. Xander loved Anya. It was that simple.

“I really do. There are times I can’t stand him. And I know there are times when he feels the same, but when the day is over, I just find that I like sitting beside him, cuddling on the sofa and watching old movies or those stupid cartoons he likes.” She smiled. “I love doing that.”

Tara and Willow both nodded. They actually enjoyed much the same thing. Many were the nights where the three of them would while away the time watching television. Faith would even sit through Tara and Willow’s romantic comedies and so-called ‘chick flicks’ without protest or complaint. They both knew that Faith liked three types of movies; horror, action and to a lesser extent, comedies. Granted to Faith, horror movies on average _were_ comedies, but she could differentiate. She also was a fan of Disney, but you’d play hell getting her to admit it.

They were suddenly somewhat saddened that she wasn’t with them. They’d spent the entire evening together, so a little separation wasn’t so bad. They’d all planned on meeting up for dinner anyhow.

“Ooh, Neiman Marcus,” Anya said, heading for yet, another boutique mall.

“Here we go again,” Willow said, taking Tara’s hand.

“Just remember, Anya. Just because Las Vegas is a town based on the deal, you don’t get to haggle over the prices in the stores.” Tara said. But the gleam in Anya’s eyes told her that the woman probably hadn’t heard a word she’d said.

 

Dawn walked along behind Faith and Xander, embarrassment plain upon her face. The group had spent the afternoon catching an early showing of the stage performance of  _Rock of Ages_. Though she wasn’t a huge fan of musicals – especially given that not but four months ago, their lives literally  _became_ a musical, thanks to a summoned demon – she had to admit the show had some great songs. It was all a bit before her time, but she enjoyed it.

As she strolled, she remembered back to those days. She remembered telling Tara that math was a great deal more fun when they were singing about it. She realized a lot of things that night. Tara and Willow had wonderful singing voices. Spike sounded like an eighties rock god, complete with phantom guitars and a very catchy hook. Faith even serenaded Dawn as they were patrolling the town, looking for the demon, Sweet. She oddly sounded like a combination of Pat Benatar, Joan Jett, and Grace Slick. Dawn, sadly felt the part of a nerd at the realization that she even knew who Grace Slick was.

All of that aside, at this moment, as they trod down the Vegas Strip, she was desperately wishing she was somewhere else, with someone else. The people walking around them gave the group looks ranging from humorous smiles and chuckles to abject panic. People moved away from them as they walked past.

Though you were bound to see quite a few bizarre things on the strip, Dawn had yet to see what she was, unfortunately, a part of at this moment.

Both Faith and Xander were belting out at the top of their lungs… “ _Strangers, waitin’. Up and down the boulevard…_ ”

She sighed heavily. “Welcome to the family.” She said sarcastically. She turned to regard Kit.

The girl was keeping stride with a wide smile on her face, humming along with the pair. She looked at Dawn’s reaction and grinned. “It’s a good song.” Kit said, taking Dawn’s arm. “Come on, you know the words. I know you do.”

“How do know?” Dawn asked.

“Because you have Journey’s Greatest Hits on your dresser beside your CD player.”

Dawn sighed, and smiled, shaking her head. “ _Workin’ hard to get my fill, everybody wants a thrill…_ ” She began singing along with the three of them.

Faith turned, walking backward, giving Dawn a thumbs up.

The group sang out loud all the way the restaurant they were having lunch at. As embarrassed as she might have been, the smile never left Dawn’s face. Singing old Journey songs at the top of her lungs in public was by far not the strangest thing she’d done.

 

Faith paced the room as everyone sat about. “I’m gonna fuckin’ kill her.” The slayer said, angrily. She flexed her fingers, causing her hands to crack and grind. She couldn’t remember when she’d been so angry.

Spike, from his place on the bed, shook his head. “No, slayer. You’re not.” He was still in a bad way, even after a full day of relaxing and healing. He was heartened by the reaction. All of them, to a person, was angered beyond belief at what happened to him. To help his healing, they lined up and each person present offered him blood.

“Give me one good fucking reason why not.” Faith snapped. Seeing the vampire in such a condition made her feel like a complete failure. She promised Buffy that she would protect everyone, including Spike. With him beaten bloody, she’d obviously not kept her promise. She hated feeling like this and wanted to do something about it. Since she couldn’t stop it from happening, the least she could do, in her estimation, was bury the son of a bitch that did it.

Spike understood her anger, he really did. If any of this group had gotten hurt, he’d have rained holy hell on whoever was responsible. But he felt that he honestly deserved this particular thrashing. Especially after finding out what he’d cost the woman. “Because it’s been handled. We’ve buried the hatchet. She’s got no more of a bone to pick with me.”

Faith stood, trembling staring at him. “So I’m just supposed to let this go?”

He looked her in the eyes. “If you care anything for me and what I want, then yeah.” He said. His voice was filled with emotion. “I know how you feel, I honestly do. If I were to see any of you lot like this, yeah even you, Xander, I don’t know what I’d do. But I’m asking you, as a favor to me, leave this girl alone. She’s earned her anger, she has. Had every right to do this to me. I took her mother years back. Figure a little bit of a beatin’ is a fair price to pay.”

Faith didn’t wanna drop it. She didn’t wanna let it go. She wanted to find this woman and teach her, in the most painful ways possible, what happens to people that fuck with those Faith cared about. Spike was family. He had made mistakes, sure, but… She had to stop and think. She was being rash and she knew it. She calmed her breathing and thought about how she would feel, knowing a vampire had killed someone close to her. She’d want retribution, big time.

In that moment, she could understand Renee’s point of view. The woman was standing face to face with the creature that killed her mother. Faith suddenly believed that she showed incredible restraint. She again looked at Spike. “Fine.” She said, finally. “I’ll leave it alone.” She sighed and shook her head. “But would you please stop getting the shit beat out of you? We don’t like seeing you like this.”

He chuckled and offered a smile. “I’ll do my best, love.”

“I guess that’s all we can ask.” Faith said. “We were going to get some dinner. You wanna come?”

“I don’t think so.” He said, looking at Justine. “I think I’ve had enough Vegas nightlife. We’ll stay in for the night. Enjoy the posh hotel room.”

“You got it.” Faith said, motioning for everyone the exit. “Have fun, you crazy kids.”

Justine rose and moved over, straddling Spike’s lap. “Now that they’re gone…” She said, leaning down for a steamy kiss.

The rest of the group headed for the elevator. Kit leaned over to Dawn and whispered into her ear. “Maybe we can have dinner, just the two of us.”

Dawn looked at her and smiled. “Hey, Faith?” As the slayer turned to her, she bit her lip. “Would it be okay if me and Kit kinda split off on our own to have dinner together?”

“Red and T-bear had a special place they wanted everyone to eat at.” Faith said.

“Please?” Dawn asked, giving them all puppy-dog eyes.

Faith pursed her lips and looked at Tara and Willow. They stared at each other for a few seconds. “Make sure you have your cell phone on you and call one of us to let us know what restaurant you’re at,” Tara said.

“You got your gear?” Faith asked.

“I’ve got a stake in my boot and my knife on my belt,” Dawn said. “I’ve got holy water in my pocket and…” She pulled down the front of her shirt, showing the small silver cross. “I’m prepped.”

“Good.” Faith said. “You two can go and have a girl’s night. Just be careful. Lotta weirdoes in Vegas.”

“I know. We all arrived together.” Dawn said.

“I’d like to argue with that,” Xander said, smiling. “I’d really,  _really_  like to.”

“Kid’s got a point.” Faith said, hugging her. She then followed suit with Kit. “Take care of my girl, now you hear?”

“I can scream loud enough to get the LAPD’s attention from here.” Kit returned, chuckling. “I promise to go full octave if we run into trouble.”

As soon as they hit the lobby, Dawn took Kit’s hand and the pair trotted off toward the front doors. Anya looked at Xander with a smile. “A romantic dinner for two sounds like a really good idea.”

He sighed and looked at Faith. “You heard the lady.”

“Get outta here and lay down the smooth for your woman.” Faith said, shooing him away. “Have fun.”

Anya gave Faith an appreciative smile and took Xander’s arm, dragging him away.

“So,” Faith said, turning to her girls. “Looks like it’s just the three of us. Seems everyone wanted their own evening tonight.”

Tara turned to Willow, grinning. The girls nodded. “That’s alright,” Willow said. “Come on.”

“Where are you guys taking me?” Faith asked as she was tugged along the strip by her girlfriends.

Willow and Tara both looked at her with a smile. “We doth take thee to someplace thou art sure to enjoy,” Willow said, happily.

“A place of merriment, cheer, and excitement,” Tara added. They stopped and motioned to the Excalibur Hotel. “Behold.”

Faith looked on and smiled. “Always wanted to come here.” She said. “They have a whole medieval thing going on.”

“When you first made noises about wanting to come to Vegas, Willow and I made a few phone calls. We’ve got a hell of a treat for you.”

Faith was dragged along as they made their way inside. They approached the front desk of the hotel and smiled brightly at the woman behind the counter. “I’m Tara Maclay and this is Willow Rosenberg. We called and spoke with a gentleman by the name of Ivan Caulier a few days ago. He said to ask for him when we came to the front desk.”

The woman nodded. “Just a moment.” She lifted the phone and dialed an extension. “Mr. Caulier, I have a Tara Maclay and a Willow Rosenberg here to speak with you.” She nodded her head. “I’ll have them wait.” She hung the phone up. “He’ll be right out.”

“Thank you,” Tara said. They stepped aside as to not impede anyone. “You’re going to love this.”

“It seems really cool.” Faith said, looking around. “This place is swank as all get out.”

A moment later a man walked out, dressed in period correct medieval garb. “Good evening ladies.” He said, offering his hand. “I’m Ivan.”

“I’m Tara. This is Willow and the girl I told you about. Faith.” Tara motioned to the brunette slayer.

“So this is Faith.” He said. He took her hand and kissed the back of it, bowing. “It is a genuine pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

Faith blushed at him. “Nice to meet you too.”

“So if you’ll come with me, I’ll see to it we get you ready.” He said, motioning for Faith to follow him.

She furrowed her brow. “Ready for what?”

“Did they not tell you?” He asked, looking at Willow and Tara.

They both shook their heads. “We’ve kept it pretty hush-hush,” Willow said. “Just go with him, Faith. It’ll be fun, I promise.”

She trusted her girls and looked at him. “Lead the way, Sir Ivan.” Faith said, smiling.

She rejoined her girlfriends an hour later at a few minutes after eight. She was extremely happy. “This is going to be epic.” She said, grinning.

The seats about the arena were filled nearly to capacity. Soft murmuring could be heard around the room.

Suddenly, a rider in blackened armor, on a black horse galloped out into the Coliseum. “Quiet, knaves!” He shouted. His voice boomed throughout the room. “Still your peasant tongues and hear me well!” He lifted an old looking key on a leather cord and held it aloft. “I have your precious kings as my prisoners. With this key, they will have their freedom.” He looped it about his neck. “Let any who dare step forward and claim it.”

Thanks to painstaking instruction, Faith knew her cue when she saw it. She powered on the small microphone that Ivan had given her and rose to her feet. “I dare!” She shouted. “I am Faith, from the Valley of the Sun to the West.” She knew the dialog was cheesy, but that was the point.

“You are brave, girl, I will grant you that.” He motioned her forward. “Come. Come and meet your fate.”

Faith made for the aisle between the banks of seats and ran to the floor, flipping over the retaining wall between the seats and the dirt arena. The spectacle earned a cheer from the crowd. Two women, both dressed in period correct serving wench attire came out, carrying armor and weapons.

Faith had practiced putting the gear on. It wasn’t all that difficult when you knew what you were doing. In the span of a few minutes, she was clad in chainmail armor with a steel breastplate covering her chest. She took the titanium sword in her hand and stepped over into the middle of the arena. “I’ll have you on your knees, knight.” She said, spinning the blade in her hand. She was very, very good with a sword. But she also knew that Ivan, her opponent was every bit as good as she was. She’d shown him everything she was capable of. He was astonished but instructed her on the proper way to stage the fight.

“Brave words, for a child.” He said, dropping from his horse. “If you do not defeat me, girl, the world will fall. There will be no more kings.”

“Then let’s settle this.” She said, lifting her blade. “Have at thee.”

He ran in, his blade leading. She stepped into his attack, blocking his sword. Sparks lit up the air. The crowd cheered as they clashed. The metal on metal ringing was fantastic. Ivan asked Faith in detail how she wanted the fight to go. She said that she wanted to win, of course. But she wasn’t above him getting his licks in.

She moved about, deflecting his attacks. As they’d planned, he stepped forward with a sidelong strike. She caught the sword with hers, holding it fast. He then threw his hands to the side. Faith released her grip, letting the blade fly from her hands. He then issued a hard kick to her chest, throwing her back to the dirt. She landed flat and stared up at him in fear. He drew his sword back. “Now you die, Faith from the Valley of the Sun.”

His sword came down. She rolled aside at the last minute. Ivan was actually somewhat concerned as he struck. He missed her by a hair’s breadth. The near miss elicited a sharp gasp from the crowd.

Faith gave him a sharp kick that hit the back of his armored knee, staggering him forward. As he was distracted, she brought her knees up and kicked herself to her feet. In the armor, it was made a hell of a lot more difficult, but she managed to keep her feet. She looked around for her sword and saw it across the arena from her. Between it and her stood the black knight. He pulled his blade up, weaving it back and forth in front of her. “Come on, then.” He said, humor in his voice. “Make the try, girl.”

Faith and he had rehearsed the spot quickly. It was relatively simple. She ran at him. He stepped forward, drawing his blade back to swing. The wide arc came in. As it did, Faith ducked below the swing, loosing a hard side-long kick to his abdomen, doubling him over. She quickly rolled across his back and dove into a shoulder roll, coming up with her sword. The crowd cheered.

The black night regained his composure. “You are skilled, girl. But you are no match for the Black Knight.”

“We shall see.” She said, again spinning the blade in her hands. “It ends now.”

“Indeed it does.” He growled. They met again in the middle of the arena, swords clashing.

Faith rapidly gained the upper hand. She met him strike for strike and turned her blade as he attacked, catching his weapon by the crossguard. She kicked the side of his leg, dropping him to his knees as she thrust upward, pulling his sword from his hand and throwing it up into the air. She stepped backward, caught the hilt in her hand and rested the blades on either side of his armored neck. “You are beaten, Black Knight. But you need not die here. Yield and your life will be spared. These people do not wish bloodshed.”

“I…” He lowered his head. “I yield.” He said, solemnly.

Faith hooked the key with her blade and tugged if from about his neck. She then flung it up into the air, thrust the blades into the dirt and snatched the key. She held it aloft. “Let the Tournament of Kings Commence!” She shouted. The arena erupted into applause.

It was the most fun she’d had in a long time. She looked to her girls and saw them both beaming. She was definitely going to thank them.

 

Kit stepped out into the warm Las Vegas air with her hand firmly in Dawns. Last night, the pair made love for the first time. It was actually a very wonderful experience for the both of them. Kit wasn’t exactly a virgin, but she was by no means a sexual butterfly. She knew what she did from research. Yes, Kit Holburn actually looked up ‘how to please a woman, step by step’ on the internet.

Many would think her twisted and just plain out and out weird for such things…and if anyone about her had admitted that they were doing so, she would probably think the same thing. But when it came time to put into practice everything she’d learned, Dawn’s reactions to her efforts made the hours of study worth every second.

Dawn, strangely, was a lot shyer than Kit would have expected, but once she was brought out of her shell, the girl gave just as good as she got. The lovers were completely and utterly spent – not to mention thoroughly satisfied – by the end of the night.

Tonight, was simply all about them enjoying each other’s company. Kit flagged down a taxi. Dawn didn’t ask where they were going. She trusted that Kit knew the way.

The pair made it to an extremely elegant restaurant named Lakeside just down the strip from their hotel.

They stepped inside and were stricken by the fact that the place boasted the finest of everything. The Maitre’d greeted them both with a bright and friendly smile. He took two menus and led them to a small table near the window with a wonderful view of the city.

Dawn saw the prices and blanched. She looked at Kit, her eyes wide. “Order what you want. Don’t worry about the price. Faith let me keep the money my mom gave me.” She reached over and took Dawn’s hand. “I wanted this night to be special. Ignore the price tags. Get what you want.”

The girl swallowed and looked back at the menu. She liked seafood a lot. She just never got to eat it much. She also loved steak. She looked over the options and stopped when her eyes caught sight of the Chili Rubbed Ribeye and Prime King Crab. Then she saw the ninety-five dollar price attached to it. She bit her lip and seriously gave it some thought.

“What are you thinking about?” Kit asked her. “I’m getting the New York Strip with the Lobster Poutine.” She looked at Dawn. “I’ll give you some of that. You’ll love it. Sally has made it for us. It’s really, really good.”

“I was kinda lookin’ at the steak and crab,” Dawn said. “But for almost a hundred dollars?”

“If you want it, get it, sweetie.” Kit said. “I don’t mind paying that. It’s worth it to make you happy. Besides when’s the next time you’re gonna have something like that?”

“True,” Dawn said, setting the menu down. “And a coke.”

“Keep it blue collar, huh?” Kit asked as she set her menu aside.

“It’s either that or booze,” Dawn said. “And I really don’t see that flying.”

“Yeah, that would never wash.” The menus were collected and their drinks were brought. They sipped at them and made pleasant small talk.

Through it all, Dawn was glad that Kit was willing to stick by her no matter how strange things seemed to get. It made her feel good. She just hoped that the Summers curse died with Buffy.

Xander took Anya’s hand and walked along with her. “Where did you wanna go, baby?” He asked.

She reached into her purse and pulled out a coupon book that she’d gotten from the hotel. “I have coupons.” She said, happily. She flipped it open and looked through it. She stopped and nodded, showing it to Xander. “Here. If we buy two gourmet dinners at the Bellagio Buffet, we get free beverages and twenty percent off.”

“Ooh, buffet.” He said. “Let’s do it.” They made their way along the strip just taking everything in. He looked to her. “Are you enjoying it here?” He asked her.

“I am.” She said. “Aside from a lot of the shopkeepers being crooks, it wasn’t bad. Tara and Willow were very fun. Did you enjoy your rock and roll show?”

“Oh yeah. It was awesome. The music was great. They had CDs with the original cast recordings. I went ahead and bought one. So did Faith.”

“That will give us something to listen to on the way home.” She offered with a warm smile.

They arrived at the restaurant a few minutes later and paid. Anya was quick to show them the coupon she had. The woman at the register was more than happy to take the percentage off and mark their receipt to allow them their free drinks.

They both made their way for the crab legs and lobster. They were all about maximizing their budget. Even with the discount, they were still looking at a tab of nearly sixty dollars before tax. But they both understood that being in Las Vegas was all about doing things they’d rarely if ever get to do again. And gorging themselves on ridiculously expensive seafood at a decent price was one of them.

“I would really like to come here for our honeymoon,” Anya said as they ate. “That was a really good idea. Seeing how expensive this town can be, I understand you not wanting to have our wedding here.”

He stared at her with loving eyes. “You know…” He sighed. “If you asked me to, I would have.”

She gave him a soft, pleasant smile. “I know you would.” She took his hand. “That’s why I’m not asking. We’ll have a simple ceremony at home. Something with just friends and family. I know before I wanted something tremendous and lavish, but…now? I just want us. Just the people that have been there for us. The people that helped us when things weren’t perfect.”

“I don’t wanna invite my parents,” Xander said. “Who do you wanna invite from your family?”

“I don’t know,” Anya said, sadly. “My family is all long dead.”

“I’m sorry, babe,” Xander said, his voice filled with sympathy.

“Why? You didn’t kill any of them.” Anya said, confused. “Unless you went back in time, somehow.” She raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t did you?”

“Not that I’m aware of. But then I’ve been possessed by a Hyena spirit, given the memories of a soldier, made to be invisible to my friends in a haunted house, and split into two separate Xanders, so anything is possible.”

“See,” Anya said. “I don’t know what’s more disturbing. The fact that all of that has happened to you, or the fact that you say it with a straight face.”

“Every day I wake up with my limbs intact, I consider it a win.” He said, taking another bite of his food.

“True,” Anya said, nodding. She set her fork down and reached into her purse. “I found something when I was out shopping.” She pulled a small white box out and handed it to him. “I thought you’d like it.”

He took it and held it in his hand. “It’s heavy.” He said, looking at her. “What is it?”

“Open it and find out.” She said.

He did as she instructed. He was stunned into silence. It was an absolutely beautiful man’s wristwatch. It was fashioned of highly polished heavy gauge silver with a sturdy band. The face was a meticulously crafted representation of the Harris family coat of arms. He’d only ever seen his family crest once when he was a child. It hung on a large tapestry in one of his aunt’s houses. He couldn’t remember which one to save his life. “Anya…this is incredible.”

“And I bought it with my own money. I wanted to get you something nice. I still have the money you gave me to shop.” She pulled out a similar box to his and revealed that she’d gotten a matching ‘hers’ watch. “I’m going to be a Harris. So when we get married, I can wear this.”

He looked her in the eyes and couldn’t help himself. He rose to his feet moved over and lifted her from her seat, kissing her with all the passion he felt in that moment. “Anya? Why don’t we get married tonight? We’ll get everyone together and find a chapel and get married. Vegas has those.”

For one of the first times in her life, Anya was stricken speechless. She simply nodded to him as the tears of joy began to flow.

 


	67. Chapter 67

 

Everyone met up at the hotel lobby per Xander and Anya’s request. Even Spike and Justine were there, waiting. Faith, Willow, and Tara arrived first. Kit and Dawn were soon to follow. “Well, the gang’s all here.” Faith said, looking around. “You two said it was important.”

The pair looked at each other, then back to the group. “We’re getting married tonight,” Anya said, happily. “We did some last minute checking and the place called ‘The Chapel of the Bells’ can get us in tonight because they had a cancellation. The ceremony is at eleven o’clock.”

Spike looked at his watch. “That gives us about ninety minutes to get prepared.”

Faith stepped up and nodded. “Alright. Xander, Anya. You two concentrate on a marriage license.” She turned to Tara and Willow. “You two work on rings. You know Xander and Anya’s sizes, right?”

Willow waved her hand. “I know a spell that’ll size them to fit.” She immediately turned to Tara. “This is a special night for them and I think a little magic is called for.”

The Wiccan nodded. “I agree.”

“The rest of us are on wedding gift patrol. I’ll shop for Red and T-bear.” She looked at Anya. “We are in Vegas, so we’re gonna keep it tight. Just some goodies that you can open here to have a little fun with, okay? We’ve all got good shit planned for you, but keep in mind that we thought you were getting married next Christmas, so it might be a while.”

Anya brightened immediately. “That’s okay. I will make allowance for cheapness because of the time constraint.”

Spike and Justine both laughed. Justine pulled Anya in and hugged her. “God, I like you.”

“She’s rather blunt, this one,” Spike said, still chuckling. “Alright. Let’s get movin’.”

The group broke up and headed off.

“Anyone got any idea where to go?” Faith asked. “Didn’t really look up shopping choices when I planned this.”

“I know where we need to go,” Justine said. “We want the Forum at Caesar’s Palace. If it exists, I’m pretty sure you can find it there.”

Tara and Willow nodded. “That’s where we’re going for the rings,” Willow said.

“Sounds good.” Faith said. “Let’s get it done. We’re running low on time.”

 

Buffybot kept her eyes wide open as she moved from one cemetery to another. Thus far, she’d taken out three vampires and chastised two underage teenagers that were about to have sex in a crypt. “Some people’s children.” She said as they cussed her out and ran off.

She left the final cemetery when it began to rain. “Wonderful.” She said, looking about. She pulled her jacket tighter about her and continued walking. She neared the espresso pump and smiled. “Daniel like’s mochas.” She said, happily. She approached and stopped as she watched an elderly man appear, from literally out of thin air.

He was clad in a tan wool coat and chocolate brown trousers and dress shoes. He carried a red umbrella with him and looked for all intents and purposes… _normal_.

But this was the hell mouth. And if she knew one thing, it was that nothing was what it seemed. She immediately approached the man, wondering what he was doing. “Excuse me.” She said, drawing closer to him.

He turned and regarded her as she came toward him. “May I help you?” He asked her.

“I saw you just appear from nowhere on the street. How did you do that?”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m looking for someone.”

“Maybe I can help you find them.” She said. “I live in this town and know everybody.”

He gave her a smile and stepped forward, moving his umbrella to encompass them both. “Maybe you can. I’m looking for a young man that’s soon to be married. His name is Xander Harris.”

“He’s a friend of mine,” Buffybot said. “Why did you need to speak with him?”

The old man had done much research and recognized the girl. His smile grew. “Buffy? You don’t recognize me, do you?” He said. “It’s me. Xander. I made my way back from the future to, to warn myself. I can’t marry Anya. It’s one of the worst mistakes of my life.”

Buffybot was immediately on edge. She looked at the man with a critical eye. Since her creation, she’d been refitted and improved upon a hundredfold. She had sensors and programs that would make the most technically savvy geeks salivate. She was a marvel of engineering. She looked at his posture, his eyes, his hair, his skin, his face…she narrowed her eyes. “You are not Xander Harris.” She said, flatly. “I do not know who you are, or who you _think_  you are, but you are not him.”

“Buffy, you have to believe me.” He pulled a crystal sphere out of his pocket. “I brought this. I thought if I met myself, I would need some convincing. It’s very powerful magic. It will show him all that I’ve felt, all that I’ve seen.”

“If you are who you claim to be, then answer one question. When did Xander and  _I_ first meet?” She asked him.

“You met just after the start of both of your Sophomore year in high school.” He blushed. “I had a crush on you when I first met you. My friend Jesse was turned into a vampire that night.”

Buffybot grabbed his jacket and spun, slamming him hard into the wall. She made a sound like a game show buzzer. “Eh. I’m sorry, wrong answer. But thanks for playing.” He suddenly looked very surprised. “What am I?” She asked him.

He was shocked but recovered quickly. “You’re Buffy Anne Summers. You’re a vampire slayer.”

“Wrong again.” She said to him. “Xander and I actually met for the first time on April 23rd of last year. I met him and Anya in a cemetery.”

He stared at her. “You’ve got it wrong. I remember meeting you in high school. You’re the one who isn’t who she claims to be.”

She grinned with sinister glee. “I never  _said_  I was Buffy.” She drew back her fist. “Explain yourself or I redecorate the wall in brain matter gray.”

“I’m telling you I’m…” He didn’t finish the statement before the android’s fist punched a hole in the brick wall beside him.

“The next one busts your head like a piñata.” She cocked her head. “Do you think candy will come out?”

He could tell that there was no convincing the girl. He wasn’t sure how she knew, but the fact that she did seriously jeopardized all he’d worked for. “I guess there’s no getting through to you, is there?” His form suddenly changed to that of a tall, grotesque demon with green sallow skin and sharp spines over his bald pate. His coat changed to a long dingy brown cloak. “This is my true form.”

Buffybot backed away from him, getting into a fighting stance. “Who are you?”

“I am simply a man wronged, wishing to right it.” He said. “The year was 1914. I was in Chicago. Then Anyanka showed up and ruined my life. She made me this way and sent me to another dimension to be tortured for eternity. I escaped and swore that I would get revenge.”

She wasn’t surprised by this one bit. “She was a vengeance demon. She was doing as she was asked to do. You cannot fault her for that.”

“Oh, I can. And I do.” He said, angrily. “She cursed me to a life of torment.”

“What did you do to deserve it?” Buffybot asked.

“I was a philanderer, I admit. But is that really a crime worth a punishment like this?” He asked, motioning to himself. “I slept with a few women. Surely that doesn’t warrant an eternity of hell.”

Buffybot honestly could sympathize with him. His punishment was extreme given his actions. But at the same time, it wasn’t Anya that wanted him punished. Someone had to have brought her forth. “For a thousand years, Anya only did what she was summoned and requested to do. She was the instrument of vengeance, but she wasn’t the source of it. Someone had to summon her. Someone had to make the wish.” Buffybot shook her head. “She can’t do it on her own.”

“That isn’t the point.” He snapped.

“Yes, it is,” Buffybot said, softly. “Whoever you were, whatever you did angered a woman you were with so much that she summoned Anya. Instead of blaming Anya…maybe you should blame yourself. Someone loved you enough to be  _that_ hurt when you left her. She scoured the supernatural world to find a way to punish you.” She shook her head. “Anya would never have noticed you if someone hadn’t brought her forth. Blaming Anya for what happened to you is like blaming the knife you’re attacked with, instead of your attacker. It doesn’t make any sense.”

He stared at her. “I can’t very well get my revenge on the girl that summoned her, now can I?”

“No, you can’t. But you’re free of the torment that Anya subjected you to. Yes, you’re a demon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still live your life. Besides, Anya isn’t a vengeance demon anymore. She’s mortal, now. She’ll eventually grow old and die.”

“Yes, but she’ll be happy while she does it.”

“So?” She said, moving closer. “She deserves to be happy. She’s been good to Xander and she loves him.” She glared, suddenly becoming angry. “But you wouldn’t know anything about that, would you? You toyed with the emotions of women and now you’re mad that you had to pay for it?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I’m not letting you anywhere near my friends.”

“That isn’t a choice you get to make.” He growled. It was the last words he said before the robot’s spin kick caught him in the throat, crushing his windpipe.

“And that’s strike three, picklehead.” She said, stepping back as he dropped to the ground. She gripped his head and twisted, snapping his neck. “And that’s the way the teddy bears have their picnic.” She lifted the globe and threw it onto the ground, smashing it to sparkling bits. “Ooh, shiny.” She said before moving inside the Espresso pump. She ordered three large mochas with whipped cream and headed for home.

She entered the house to see Charles and Fred sitting on the sofa. Charles was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops on their PS3. “Gotcha, sucka!” He said, happily. “Hey, Buff.”

“Hello, Buffy. Run into any problems tonight?” Fred asked her. “Did you get damaged at all?”

She shook her head. “No. Killed three vampires and some demon. It was funny. He looked like an old man at first. He claimed to be Xander from the future. He was here to stop their wedding. He was early by about nine months. What a moron.”

Fred and Charles both looked at each other. They then turned back to the robot. “Xander called about an hour ago. Him and Anya are getting married tonight in Las Vegas.”

Buffybot brightened. “Oh? That’s wonderful. I’m so happy for them.” She offered each of them a drink. “Here. We’ll drink mochas and wish them well.”

“Here, here,” Charles said, taking a sip. “Oh, that’s the good stuff.”

“Thank you, Buffy,” Fred said, smiling at her.

“Where is Daniel?” She asked.

“He’s downstairs. Waiting for you, I imagine.” Fred said. She looked at Charles and nodded. “We’re gonna go ahead and leave. We just wanted to make sure and see that you were okay.”

Buffybot nodded. “Thank you for thinking of me.” She said, giving each of them a hug.

“Take it easy,” Charles said, patting her shoulder.

Buffybot closed the door and sighed. She turned and made her way through the house, turning the lights off and making sure everything was closed and locked. She descended the stairs quietly and entered their apartment. Daniel lay stretched out on the sofa, asleep. Buffy silently put her weapons away and pulled her leather jacket off, hanging it on the coat rack. She stepped over and knelt in front of the couch and sat on her knees content to watch Daniel sleep. She reached out and brushed his hair gently from his eyes. “I love you.” She said, softly.

“Love you, too.” He said in his sleep.

 

Xander stood staring at the full-length mirror. He was rather surprised. “That last time I wore a tuxedo, I was invisible to all my friends.” He said, smiling.

Willow, for her part, was dressed much the same. She had the honor of being his best man. “This is the first time I’ve ever worn one.” She said, looking at herself beside him. “I think we look good.”

“Yeah, we do.” He said. “I’m just glad they had rentals that fit.”

“Have you seen the bridesmaids dresses Anya picked out?” Willow asked. “I hope you like green.”

“I know she does,” Xander said. “Money is her favorite color of green.”

Willow chuckled. “I’ve noticed.” She stepped over and tied his bowtie correctly. “Don’t be nervous. You love her. You both know it. Now’s your chance to prove it.”

“It’s a huge decision, Wills.” He said, softly. “I don’t wanna screw it up.”

“Do you have your vows?” She asked him.

“I know what I’m gonna say.” He said to her. “I’m just hoping my tongue doesn’t swell up and choke me to death.”

“You’ll be fine,” Willow said. “You’ve faced down scarier things than a wedding.”

“That’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one getting married.” Xander said. “Thanks for doing this, Wills.” He added, hugging her.

“I look like a right Burke in this,” Spike said, stepping out of the changing room into the anteroom. Like both of them, he was clad in an elegant tuxedo. “You better appreciate this, Harris.” He added sharply.

“I never thought I’d say this, Spike but…you look really good in a tux,” Xander said. “All badass secret agent guy.”

“You do look rather dashing.” Willow offered.

He looked at himself in the mirror. “I do, don’t I?” He pursed his lips and turned this way and that. “Bond. James Bond.”

Both of them cracked up laughing. “That was awesome,” Xander said, happily.

Spike smiled at him. “Time for you to get hitched, mate.”

Faith stood staring at the full-length mirror. She was rather surprised. “The last time I wore a dress, I couldn’t stop being pissed at…” She furrowed her brow. “You know, I don’t even remember his name. It was homecoming senior year.” She looked herself up and down. “Is now a bad time to mention that I really hate green?”

Dawn, Tara, Kit, and Justine were all dressed the same. Tara, having been asked to be the maid of honor, had a larger green carnation blossom on her lapel. They all chuckled at the slayer’s discomfort.

Kit, strangely though the dresses looked rather pretty. The style wasn’t exactly her thing, but she did think the color was nice.

Justine shared Faith’s loathing, however. “I think we look like backup dancers for a really bad swing band.” She said, sighing.

“This is important to Anya,” Tara said. “We should let her have what she wants.”

“Personally, I’d rather go with the burlap sack and blood larvae,” Dawn said. “I’m sure she knows all the most flattering larvae.”

“Is it sad that I’d be okay with that?” Faith asked. “Christ these are hideous.” She looked at the rest of the girls. “Sad part is, there’s gonna be pictures of us in these out there.”

“The world is never gonna be the same,” Justine said.

They all turned as Anya came walking into the room in a simple, yet elegant wedding dress. She stood and immediately began tearing up. “You all look…” She put her hands to her mouth, nearly bawling. “So beautiful.”

“Not the word I was thinking of,” Justine said to Faith, quietly. The slayer nodded.

Anya ran to them, hugging each of them tightly. “I’m so happy.” She said, crying.

Tara took her arm. “Come on, sweetie. It’s time to get married.”

The women all made it out to the small cathedral. The music was the standard wedding march. Anya looked over at Xander. He cut a very dashing figure in his tuxedo. His broad shoulders and strong arms filled out the outfit very well. She could see on his face that he was nervous. She didn’t really blame him. She was nervous as well. When she was a little girl, she thought of her wedding as some massive affair with all of the trappings. That desire hadn’t really changed…until tonight. Tonight she realized that it wasn’t the ceremony that was important. It was who she was getting married to that mattered. She had close friends and people she cared about and that cared about her.

Except for Justine. She really didn’t know the girl all that well, but she liked her thus far. And the girl was willing to wear a dress that, to be honest, Anya knew full well none of them liked. She thought they were lovely, but knew that her tastes weren’t for everyone. But the girls voiced not one single word of complaint. At least not to her. She could only imagine what they’d said behind closed doors. But that didn’t really bother her. They were all willing to put up with her and make her day as close to perfect as possible.

Her eyes moved from Xander to Willow. She had to admit, the perky little redhead looked good in a tuxedo. She was tiny standing between Xander and Spike, but the smile on her face more than made up for it. She could see that the girl was happy as could be for her. Anya knew that there would always be feelings between her and Xander. They’d known each other all their lives. You can’t be friends with someone that long and not develop something.

But with that said, Anya also understood that Willow had been, was, and would always be supportive of their relationship and marriage. She wanted nothing more than for the two to be happy. And that, Anya, respected the most about the girl.

Spike, for his part, looked absolutely fetching. For a brief instant, she was almost envious of Justine. He was tall, pale and looked… _dangerous_  in his attire. Very assassin chic. He looked at her, giving her a wink and a smile.

The minister, a round man with a cheerful expression waited with a bible in his hand. He was dressed simply in the standard garb. Though they paid top dollar for the package they’d gotten, with a few extras, the pair couldn’t bring themselves to get married by Elvis. As dorky as Xander could be, even he had standards.

Tara walked along arm in arm beside her. Faith and Dawn came next, each holding a bouquet of flowers. Then came Kit and Justine. As much as Justine hated the whole concept of a wedding, she couldn’t help but be caught up in it. She looked at Spike with a soft smile. He returned it.

Anya reached the dais and stood facing Xander. The minister started off as normal. Xander was nervous as could be. When it came time to exchange vows, he felt his throat go dry. He tried to speak, but couldn’t. He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Willow with a bottle of water and a smile. He took it and pulled the cap off. He took several pulls before finishing and handing the bottle back to her.

He looked back at Anya. “Sorry.” He said, his voice calmer. “I’m not really all that eloquent, so bear with me.” He cleared his throat. “I love you, Anya. I’ve fallen in love before… or at least that’s what I thought. When I met you, it was…it was whirlwind. You came in with all the subtlety of an earthquake, completely turning my world upside down.” He took her hands. “Then, it scared the hell out of me. Now? Now there isn’t a moment goes by that I don’t thank the heavens for it. I’m going to do everything I can to make you the happiest woman alive.”

Anya felt tears sliding down her cheeks. She was about to speak when the door burst open.

Everyone turned and looked. A tall dark-haired man in a black leather coat and a very ridged and bumpy forehead with sick yellow eyes growled. “Spike!”

Faith quickly reached into the space between her breasts pulled a stake free. She turned and hurled it full force at the vampire, taking him through the heart, dusting him in record time. She turned back to the procession as if nothing happened. Everyone else did likewise.

The minister and sound man, however, were stricken speechless. “Someone reboot the holy man,” Justine said.

Faith reached over and patted his shoulder. “Padre? You okay?”

He looked at her. “He just…he just disappeared.”

“Caught that.” She said. “Let’s get on with this.” She said, motioning to Anya.

The woman smiled at her and turned back to Xander. “Before we were so rudely interrupted by that inconsiderate vampire.” She looked to Spike. “Who was he, anyway?”

Spike shook his head. “Didn’t look familiar.” He said. “Sorry, all the same.”

She shrugged and again looked at her man. “To hell with the vows.” She said, shaking her head. She looked to the priest. “Next?” She said.

He chuckled and went on. It came to the time to exchange rings. Neither had seen the rings that Tara and Willow picked out. For Xander to give to Anya, Willow had selected a gold band with emeralds set about the center all the way around. It was simple but looked fabulous. Faith had spared no expense on either of the rings. For Anya to present to Xander, Tara had gotten a matching band, but with Sapphires inset.

The pair slid the rings on each other. “Do you, Alexander Harris, take Anya to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have to and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, forsaking all others until death do you part?”

Xander stared into Anya’s eyes.  _This is it_. He thought to himself.  _No going back._  He swallowed. “I do.”

“Anya, do you take Alexander as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, forsaking all others until death do you part?”

She likewise swallowed and nodded. “I do. I do, I do, I do.”

He chuckled a bit. “Then by the power vested in me by the city of Las Vegas, the State of Nevada and by the lord almighty I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Xander pulled Anya in and kissed her with every spark of passion he could muster. The photographer stepped in, snapping photos. The group cleared away as they embraced.

Faith threw her arm around her girls’ shoulders. “Makes you feel good, doesn’t it?” The pair nodded, each taking one of her hands.

Dawn pulled Kit in and kissed her. “I hope that’s gonna be us someday,” Dawn said, staring at the couple. Kit was utterly shocked by the statement but said nothing.

Justine moved over beside Spike. “In the century and change, you’ve been around…you ever thought about marriage?”

He looked at her. “Not if you’re gonna wear that.”

Justine chuckled. She couldn’t blame him. Not one damn bit.

 


	68. Chapter 68

 

“This is stupid,” Andrew said from the passenger seat of the grungy Ranchero. “You keep circling around. Just, just drive straight in.”

“Will you shut up? We gotta keep it low pro.” Jonathan snapped from his place behind the wheel.

Andrew scoffed at him. “You’re just scared.”

Jonathan, for his part, nodded. “Of course I’m scared. Last time we were here, we had nearly every superpowered badass the city has to offer after us. I watched some redhead just beat the crap out of Warren and blow up his van.”

“Calm down. No one’s getting the crap beat out of them. We got a plan. We’re gonna fix all that.”

“Wish I’d have stayed in Mexico,” Jonathan said, quietly.

“Ah, I didn’t like it there. Everybody spoke Mexicalan.” Andrew offered meekly.

“You could’ve learned it. You learned the entire Klingon dictionary in two and a half weeks.” Jonathan shot back.

Andrew turned toward him. “That had much clearer transitive and intransitive rules, Okay? Besides, we started this whole mess with Warren. We have to help them. I can’t stand those dreams.”

Jonathan shook his head. “Me neither. That vampire woman’s eyes were just creepy.”

“Save the slayer,” Andrew said, grim-faced. “ _Videte oculis mortuis_. Dead eyes in a cave.”

“It’s ‘Beware the eyes of the dead’ slap nuts.”

“You’re a slap nut.” Andrew shot back.

“It’s Latin,” Jonathan said, shaking his head. “I just don’t know why we were dreaming about her.”

“All we know is this is our chance to make things right with the slayer,” Andrew said, growing verklempt. “We’re outlaws with hearts of gold.”

“Yeah. Gonna make things right.” Jonathan added.

They raced past the ‘Now Entering Sunnydale’ sign.

It was just after seven o’clock Monday evening when the convoy of cars made it into the small city of Sunnydale. Faith, with Tara beside her and Willow in the back seat, set the pace. Xander and Anya, the happy newlyweds, came next. Justine and Spike rolled along behind the Charger with the top of Justine’s Chevelle down, enjoying the warm California weather. Dawn and Kit were last in the cute little blue Beetle.

The weekend had been a blast, nearly from beginning to end. The incident involving Spike and his past wasn’t so fun, but if nothing else, it gave the girl some closure. Spike could understand it and let it go. Reluctantly, the rest of the gang did the same. If Spike decided that he wanted to drop the issue, then they would too.

Xander and Anya split off, heading for their condo. Faith, Justine, and Dawn drove to the house. “We really oughta see about getting a bigger garage built.” The slayer said as she and Dawn pulled into the driveway behind the large black Jeep. “And we also need to see about getting that thing sold and getting a new rig.”

“What’s wrong with the Jeep?” Tara asked, curious.

“Nothing really wrong with it.” Faith said. “It’s old, it’s underpowered and it’s a reminder of Mrs. S.” She watched as Justine pulled past them and into the garage. On their way home, Faith had talked it over with everyone and suggested that given Justine’s car is far rarer than everyone else’s and it was a convertible, that she should be the one to get the garage.

“Kind of a fresh start kind of thing,” Willow said as they all piled out.

“Yeah, something like that. I’ll take little D with me and we’ll see about getting something newer.” Faith pulled the keys from her pocket and headed up to the front porch. “God, it’s good to be home.”

“Vacations are fun, but it is kind of nice when you get to come home to something familiar,” Willow said, wrapping her arms around her girlfriends from behind.

Tara giggled as she lay her hand over Willow’s arm. “Very true.”

Faith likewise chuckled as she unlocked the door. One by one they streamed into the house, happy to be back. Charles and Fred sat on the sofa watching television. They looked up, as the group wandered in. Both of them stood, giving hugs and smiles. “I hope y’all had fun and what the hell happened to you?” Gunn asked as he looked at Spike.

“Dangers of a far from laudable past.” The vampire returned. “Nothing for it. It’s been handled.”

Fred looked him over. Justine did her best to patch him up, but he still showed the signs of a vicious fight. “Are you alright?”

Justine stepped up and pressed herself back against him. “My boy’s tougher than he looks.”

Fred smiled at the response and nodded.

“How’d things go here?” Faith asked. “Everything smooth?”

“Roboslayer ran into some chump that claimed to be Xander from the future,” Charles said. “Turned out the guy was just someone that Anya fucked over in Chicago like, a hundred years ago. Buffybot just trashed his ass and left it at that.”

“He was still alive after all this time?” Dawn asked. “Isn’t that kind of impossible?”

“She turned him into a demon and banished him to a hell dimension for eternal torment.” Fred offered. “He swore he’d get revenge on her for what she did to him. He wanted to ruin their wedding. He knew they were getting married somehow, but came to the wrong city, apparently. He won’t be a problem anymore.”

“Way to go, double B.” Faith said. “Where are they now?”

“They’re actually both at work. As soon as they get off at ten, Daniel is coming home, but Buffy is gonna patrol.” Charles said.

“Have you two eaten yet?” Tara asked.

“We were just gettin’ ready to order some pizza when y’all showed up,” Charles said.

“I’ll make us something for dinner.” She said, cheerfully. “A nice family meal before you guys have to leave.”

“Need some help?” Fred asked.

“Please.” She said. “Faith, sweetie? Would you take our bags up?” The blonde asked.

“Sure thing.” Faith said, taking the bags. “Come on, D, Spike. Gimme a hand with these.”

“So what are we making?” Justine asked, looking around.

Tara stood a moment. “Well…” She looked into the freezer. “We’ve got a couple pounds of burger here.” She turned to the girls. “Spaghetti?”

Justine nodded. “Fair enough. Who here can actually cook?” Kit, Tara, and Fred raised their hands. “Okay. I can’t cook for shit. From my read in the landscape, Willow can’t either.” The redhead shook her head. “Alright. Tara, you take the burger and get it done. Fred, you get the spaghetti noodles done. Kit and Willow can handle the garlic bread and I’ll…” She looked around. “Hmm.” She said, not sure what she would do.

“Salad,” Tara said. “Why don’t you prep a salad for us?”

“I can do that,” Justine said. “Let’s get ‘er done.”

Tara put the ground hamburger in a skillet to brown. She added seasonings here and there as she went. Fred moved around her, putting a pot of water on to boil.

Willow and Kit stood, buttering a loaf of bread for garlic bread. Kit, having made it more times that she could count, added the garlic.

Justine gathered the veggies from the fridge and blasted through the knife work. She put the salad away to await dinner. She chopped the green pepper and onions that Tara requested. She then went about opening the cans of spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and paused as she saw the can of large pitted olives. “Does anyone mind olives in their spaghetti?”

“That’s how my mom used to make it,” Tara said, adding the onions and green peppers to the meat to sweat off.

“Mine, too.” Fred returned.

“I’ve never had it.” Kit offered.

“I don’t mind,” Willow added.

“Nice,” Justine said, dumping the olives out and running a knife through them.

Tara nodded at the meat and drained off the grease before adding the sauces, olives and canned mushrooms.

Willow and Kit finished the bread and went about wrapping it in tin foil and placing in the oven. “Done,” Willow said, lifting her hands in the air. Kit giggled.

“Then I guess you win,” Tara said, pulling the redhead in and kissing her intently.

Dawn stepped up and pulled Kit in and wrapped her arms around her from behind. “Hey, you.” She said, nibbling the side of Kit’s neck, causing her to cringe and laugh.

“Seems right pleasant in here,” Spike said, moving over beside his girl.

“Now that you’re here, it’s a party,” Justine said, hooking her fingers on the edge of his jeans and tugging him closer.

“Here, here.” Faith said, grabbing her girls and kissing them one after the other. “Something smells good.”

“We’re making spaghetti,” Tara said.

“Don’t think she was talking about the food,” Gunn said, likewise wrapping his arms about Fred. “I know I ain’t.”

Fred blushed and giggled. “Charles.” She said, giddily.

“Aaaaand, break.” Faith said, stepping away from the girls. Dawn, Charles, and Spike did likewise. “Keep this shit up and ain’t nothing gonna get done and no one is gonna get fed.”

“Yeah, but after dinner, all bets are off,” Charles said, earning a fist bump from each of them.

There was good-natured ribbing as everyone took plates, cups, and food to the dining room table. They shot the breeze and just enjoying each other’s company. As the night wound down, the group drifted to their rooms and into the arms of those special people that made everything on the Hellmouth tolerable.

 

Xander lay staring at the ceiling, a thin sheen of sweat coating his large frame. He’d noticed a marked difference in himself since he started the whole demon fighting bag. Back there and back then, he was terrified. He was scared all the time and was veritably jumping at shadows. Everything seemed to carry danger and threat. He barely slept and was always plagued by dark and haunting dreams. He would awaken in the night in cold sweats. Sometimes he would wake screaming.

He wasn’t sure when the change came, but come it did. Now, he slept through the night, his psyche clear of terror. He could face down the darker element without fear. It wasn’t that he was no longer afraid…because he still was, of that there could be no argument. He just didn’t seem to be scared. To him, being afraid and being scared carried with it a huge difference. Being afraid kept him smart, focused and cautious. That level of fear was useful. But being scared, to him was something else entirely. Scared people cowered and hoped,  _begged_  that someone would save them.

Xander didn’t do scared. Many were the time when there was no one to save him, no one to fight the darkness and free him. So he had to save himself. Scared people wouldn’t –  _couldn’t_  – do that.

As he lay there, twirling his fingers in his wife’s hair, he thought back. From day one, he’d never really been too afraid to act. He’d always rushed in where angels feared to tread for the safety of those he cared about. Knowing full well what would happen to him if he did, he still went.

He didn’t have any powers or any special training. He’d spent one night in the head of a hardened Army grunt and carried a lot of that training with him. Some of the finer points were lost, but when the die was cast and the proverbial shit hit the fan, he’d recalled every step, every hour and every skill he’d attained from that night.

And it all led to this. He was in his own condo, a successful Construction Supervisor, married to an attractive woman. Yes, she was a thousand-year-old ex-demon that spent over a millennia tormenting men that wronged women – and there was a part of him that was still put off by that, it had to be said – but as he turned to regard her…her hair matted to her skin as she slept, her nose twitching as she snored lightly, and her soft warmth resting against him. Her head lay on his shoulder, her arm was thrown across his broad chest and her leg rested over his.

“You’re beautiful.” He said to her.

She lifted her head and looked at him, blinking the sleep from her eyes. “Huh?” She asked, blearily.

He smiled and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “I love you, Mrs. Harris.”

“I love you, too. Mr. Harris.” She said, in return. “You should get some sleep, love. You have work in the morning.”

“I know.” He said to her. “I just can’t believe we’re married. I expected…”

“Expected what?” Anya asked him, curious.

“I expected to feel…different somehow.” He wasn’t sure what to say. “I don’t know.”

“Did you expect something bad to happen?” Anya asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe.” Xander said. “I just…every woman I’ve ever been with has just been…I don’t have a lot of luck with girls.”

Anya smiled and moved over on top of him. She leaned down and kissed him passionately. “That’s because all you’ve ever had is  _girls_.” She stared into his eyes. “This time, Alexander LaVelle Harris, you’ve found a  _woman_.” She kissed him again. “And for the rest of your life, I promise to make certain you under the difference.”

“Please note, for the record, I have no problem with that.” He said, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. He quickly rolled over on top of her. “I love you so much.”

She gave him a lascivious smile. “Prove it.” She said, teasing.

His eyes darkened with lust.

 

Warren sat in front of the monitors, watching the house. He leaned back in his chair and groused. He’d lost most of his surveillance cameras over the past few months. When he, Andrew and Jonathan started this, they didn’t really have a game plan. It was just to have some fun and see if they could outsmart the slayer.

And to their credit, they did. Several times they’d managed to rattle her. They’d had her on the figurative ropes. He’d determined that, despite her strength, agility and top notch fighting skills, Faith wasn’t really a problem. At the end of the day, she was a girl, nothing more, nothing less. She alone, he could deal with. And Spike, with his chip, was completely harmless. He had nothing to fear from the neutered vampire.

No, the problem was the others. Willow and Tara both were casters of the highest caliber. Giles and Anya were both supernatural encyclopedias with gray matter for days. Xander and Dawn were both wild cards. They were unpredictable and resourceful as they came.

Then, there was Justine. She was just about the most dangerous one of the group. She wasn’t as fast and strong as Faith – not by a damn sight – but she was ten times the combatant he was and was just as nasty, vindictive and lacking in a conscience as he was. Despite his instructions, his newest accomplice hadn’t killed her.

He slowly smiled. “Maybe it’s time to change that.” He said to himself. He felt slim soft arms wrap around him from behind. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“The bed is cold.” She said, her voice lilting. “And so am I. Warm me up.”

He chuckled and tilted his head to the side. “Just be careful how much you take. I have things to do today.”

She leaned in and licked the side of his neck. She bit down but didn’t break the skin. “No.” She said, pulling away. “Bring me something sweet to eat. Someone close to the slayer, a beloved treat.”

He turned to regard her. “You like playing with fire, don’t you?”

“Fire’s pretty. Miss Edith likes pretty flames.”

“You gonna kill them this time?” He asked her.

“If they will it, I’ll play with the little souls.” She said as she began dancing about the room to a tune only she could hear. “I’m hungry, I’m hungry the flames cry. Blood, blood to moisten lips gone dry. Death, death the joyful dance, to shake the slayer’s stoic stance.”

“Yeah.” He said turning back to the screen. “She’s nuts.”

 

Dawn pulled up to the school and climbed out. Kit stepped out of the passenger seat and looked at the school, sighing. “I’d rather still be in Vegas.” The elder girl said.

“Yeah, me too.” Dawn offered. They both trotted into the school. They stopped in the hallway to share an impassioned kiss. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

“Okay.” Kit said, before turning to head to her class.

Dawn did likewise. She sat down and pulled her laptop out, bringing up her recorder. She thanked Willow for the transcribing program she’d installed. All Dawn had to do was add spacing and punctuation. Most of the teachers would allow students to use notes on their tests. Dawn, given that she had a large three-inch binder filled with transcriptions of the teacher’s lectures, she was blasting through tests without a lot of effort.

She was doing wonderfully in her classes, she had a job and was paying her own bills and had a very pretty girlfriend. Life was going fantastically for the teen. Every so often, she would be hit with a bout of sadness. She wished at times that her mother was there to see what her daughter had become. She wished Buffy were still there in the flesh to tell her how proud she was.

Dawn had taken a large plate of metal and nailed it to the wall of her room with the magnetic words on it. Every so often, she’d see messages left for her. It made her smile because she knew that it was her sister, even in death, looking out for her.

But what she wouldn’t give to hold Buffy in her arms again. She felt a tear slide down her face and wiped it away.

“Dawn?” The teacher asked, taking her attention from her reverie. As the teen looked at her, the woman offered her a note. “They’d like to see you in the principal’s office.”

“What for?” She asked, nervously. She hadn’t skipped school in months and was getting near perfect grades. There was no reason she should be sent to the office.

“They didn’t say.” She said. “Gather your things and go. I’m sure it’s important.”

Dawn sighed and did as she was instructed. She entered the main office. “I’m supposed to see the principal.” She said, hugging her pack to her.

“Go right in.” The student assistant said, dismissively.

Dawn nodded and pushed the door open. As she entered, the principal sat in his chair with his back to her. “You wanted to see me?” She asked. She took a few tentative steps toward him. “Dawn Summers?” She said.

Suddenly the door slammed shut. She turned just in time to see Warren stepping toward her, trying to subdue her.

Dawn acted quickly. She threw her backpack at him, causing him to stagger back. She then ran and jumped, Superman-punching him across the jaw, throwing him back into the wall.

He was dazed a moment. She immediately ran for the door. Her hand closed about the knob before strong, slender arms wrapped around her from behind and pulled her away. Despite being so small, the figure’s strength was far beyond what the teen was capable of. “Don’t struggle, little one.” A soft voice said. One of her attacker’s arms released her and gripped her hair, pulling her head to the side. She was turned around toward the principal. His chair had been turned about.

She stared at his pale, dead form, blood glistening on his lips as she felt the sharp pain in her neck.

“And the Summers line ends today,” Warren said, chuckling. “No going back now.”

Dawn felt herself growing drowsy. “I’m sorry, Faith.” She said as her body began to sag. Her vision blurred and faded.

The last thing she remembered was the sound of breaking of glass, then slumping to the ground. She couldn’t open her eyes. There was shouting and the sounds of a fight.

Then there was just the crushing black of unconsciousness.

 


	69. Chapter 69

 

Dawn could hear voices. She was still fatigued as hell. Slowly she was coming back to herself. Her world was coming back into focus. “She’s waking up.” She heard a familiar, yet distorted voice above her. She felt like she was laying on a lumpy futon mattress. She opened her eyes…to see Andrew and Jonathan leaning over her. Both boys looked like they’d been through hell. Jonathan’s right eye was sporting a nasty shiner and his lip was split. Andrew had two pieces of toilet paper, tinged red sticking out of his nose. His cheek had a large bruise on it.

“What the hell?” She asked, or at least tried to. Her voice was heavy and slurred. “Where am I?”

“We saved you,” Andrew said.

“How…how did you know where to find me?” Dawn asked.

Jonathan offered her a small bottle of orange juice. “Here. This’ll make you feel better.”

She hesitated a moment and took it. She moved to sit up. They both helped her. “Where is this place?”

“We brought you back to our motel room,” Andrew said. “Don’t worry, we didn’t…you know.”

“I didn’t figure,” Dawn said. “You aren’t  _that_  stupid.” She opened the juice and took a pull. “What are you two doing back in…” She rubbed her neck where the vampire bit her. “Fuck, this really hurts.” She could tell it had been bandaged.

“We’ve been having dreams,” Jonathan said. “Both of us.”

“They were really scary,” Andrew said. “That’s how we knew we had to come back. Make things right.”

“Yeah. To make things right.” Jonathan said, in agreement.

Dawn looked from one to the other. “What did you dream about?” She asked.

Andrew tried to speak, but the lump in his throat prevented it. He motioned for Jonathan to explain it.

The slighter boy cleared his throat. “You remember Andrew leaving.” He began. Dawn nodded. She remembered full well the reason behind the boy’s departure. It was a proud moment for her. “A few weeks after that, I left. I called Andrew and asked where he was. He told me that he’d gone to San Felipe in Mexico.”

“Is Mexico cool?” Dawn asked. “I’ve always wanted to go.”

“It has its charms,” Andrew said. “Food was good. They don’t care how old you are. Anyone can get a beer.”

“Sounds like fun.” The girl said. “Continue.” She said to Jonathan.

“About a week after we met up, we both began having strange dreams. After a while, it was constant, almost nightly. And it was getting really vivid. We kept seeing these eyes in the darkness. Like…like two golden pools of light. They would bore into you, making you do things. Things you didn’t wanna do, but there was nothing you could do.”

“Resistance was futile,” Andrew added. Dawn looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Sorry.” He said, sheepishly.

“As cliché as that was, it’s true. After we saw the eyes, we saw what they belonged to. The face of an angel, smiling with sin.” Jonathan said, shivering.

Dawn grinned. “As Faith would say, bonus points for the gratuitous rock reference.”

“What?” He asked, not understanding.

“Those words,” Dawn said. “You were…weren’t you quoting lyrics?”

“Lyrics to what?” Jonathan was truly confused.

“ _Touch too Much_  by…you know what forget it. Figures you wouldn’t actually reference anything cool.” Dawn said. “So these eyes. What did they belong to, exactly?”

“A vampire,” Andrew said, his voice small. “A really powerful vampire.”

Dawn remembered Faith telling her about the vampire she’d run into while chasing Warren the last time they’d dealt with him. Apparently, the woman had looked at Faith and dominated her without effort. “That’s bizarre. Why would you be having dreams about her, but Faith doesn’t?” Both boys shook their heads. They were just as lost on it as she was. Suddenly Dawn’s cell phone began ringing. She pulled it from her jacket pocket. “Hello?”

“D? Where are you?” Faith asked. “The school called. Said you went missing. I’m standing beside your car.”

“Something really strange happened,” Dawn said, sliding up to lean against the headboard. “I got called to the principal’s office. When I got there, he was dead. He was drained by a vampire. There was blood on his lips.”

“Fuck. Mean’s he’s gonna rise.” Faith said. “Shit.”

“It gets worse. Warren tried to kill me.” She said. Her voice was calm, which impressed the hell out of Andrew and Jonathan. “He had a vampire with him. I’m not sure how she got into the building in broad daylight, but…”

“A cloak,” Andrew said.

“A hoodie with gloves.” Jonathan offered.

“Who’s with you?” Faith asked. “They sound familiar.”

“Apparently, when the vampire bit me, I passed out. As I was fading, I heard someone come to my rescue. I just woke up with Andrew and Jonathan.” Dawn looked at the both of them and offered a soft smile. “They saved my ass.”

“You’re shitting me.” Faith said. “Those two losers actually fought off Warren and a vampire to save you?”

“Yeah, they did,” Dawn said. “I owe ‘em.”

“Well, where the hell are you?” Faith asked her. “I’ll come and pick you up.”

“The Offramp. They have a room there.” Dawn said.

“Room nineteen,” Jonathan said. “Just promise she isn’t gonna beat the shit out of us.”

“I’m not gonna hurt either of them.” Faith said. “They may have been a pain in our asses, but they just saved your butt. That makes ‘em square with the house again as far as I’m concerned. See you in a few.” Faith said, hanging up the phone after.

Dawn lowered her cell and stared at the pair. “How did you two find me, anyway?”

“Well, we knew you went to school. Since Sunnydale High isn’t open yet, we knew that the college annex was the best place to look.” Andrew said.

“But why were you looking for me?”

“Because you were the one that we thought we might be able to reason with the easiest,” Jonathan said. “You’re the most… _practical_.”

“You were afraid Faith would just skip to the ‘beating the crap out of you’ phase. Tara and Willow might use magic on you and you didn’t wanna deal with that.” Dawn suggested.

Both boys nodded. “You would be able to convince everyone that we just wanted to help. We were on the way to the school when we saw Warren get out of a large armored truck. We saw him and someone else sneak into the window of an office. We weren’t sure what they were doing, so we followed him. When we saw what was happening to you, we had to help.” Andrew offered.

Jonathan lifted his shirt, showing a rather nasty cut across his abdomen. “I cut myself on the glass jumping through it.”

“I didn’t get hurt,” Andrew said, proudly.

“Well, you guys saved my ass,” Dawn said, pulling both in and kissing them lightly on the lips. “Thanks.”

The pair blushed and looked at each other. “Cool.” They said in unison. The sudden knock on the door caught their attention. “That was fast,” Andrew said, rising from the bed and moving to the door.

“No,” Dawn said, getting up from the bed. She was still lightheaded. “Don’t.” She said.

The door immediately burst open with a mighty crash. Warren stood with a smile on his face. “You should listen to her, Andrew. She’s smarter than she looks.” He took a step inside.

“Go away, Warren,” Jonathan shouted, pulling a large bone from his jacket pocket. “I don’t wanna have to use a spell on you.”

Warren tossed as small silver globe at him. It smacked into his chest and quickly wrapped him in thin metal threads. Immobilized, the boy hit the carpet. “Shut up, Frodo.” He said.

Andrew pulled a rapier from his own jacket, hanging from the post of the bed. “I’ve been practicing, Warren.” He saw the vampire that Warren was working with standing outside the door. “And your vampire friend isn’t allowed to come in unless we tell her she can.”

Warren chuckled. “You should really learn the rules, dork-boy.” As if on cue, the woman glided into the room. “This is a motel. Public domain. It isn’t a residence.”

“That’s bullshit,” Dawn said. “As the renters, Jonathan and Andrew have the say in who can and can’t come in.”

“Look, small fry. I don’t make the rules. She can come in, that’s all that matters.” Warren said. He turned to the woman. “Stop him and get the girl.”

The vampire was a flash of movement. She gripped the blade of Andrew’s sword and wrenched it free of his hand. In a swift motion, she cracked him across the face with the hilt, knocking him to the ground. She then spun the blade and rammed it through his shoulder and into the floor, pinning him in place. “Stay.” She said, taunting. “Good boy.” She said, patting his head. She turned to Dawn. “Let’s go, love.” She moved toward the girl.

Dawn was afraid. But that didn’t stop her from acting. She pulled the cross from her neck and thrust it toward the vampire. “Stay away from me, bitch!” She snapped. She moved back from the bed and into the corner of the room. She just had to hold on for a few more minutes. She was shaky on her legs.

The vampire hissed and moved away from her.

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Warren said, running and jumping onto the bed, landing in front of her. “Gimme that.” He said, reaching for the necklace.

Dawn pulled it in so he couldn’t reach it. “You touch me, I scream rape!” She said. “I’m sixteen years old, asshole. That’s prison time.” She looked directly into his eyes.

“You think anyone is gonna care in this place?” Warren asked her. He did, however, pause a moment. That moment cost him as Dawn’s knee connected with his groin. Lighting strikes of pain shot up his spine as he fell to his knees. “Shit.” He let out a strangled cry.

Dawn had no time to celebrate her success. The vampire woman was on her. She gripped Dawn’s wrist and squeezed, causing her to drop the cross. “Now you’re mine, little girl.”

“Like hell she is.” Faith snapped as she raced across the room.

The vampire turned as Faith came at her. Dawn dropped to the ground as the slayer slammed into the woman. The pair smashed through the wall, joists and all and out into the midday sun.

They crashed to the ground, heavily. Faith rolled with the impact, coming to her feet. She saw the vampire running full tilt toward the nearest sewer entrance. She really wanted to pursue, but Dawn was alone with Warren. And she could tell from how pale and shaky the girl was, that leaving her alone was a bad idea. Faith turned and jumped back up, grabbing the edge of the hole they’d made and crawled back inside.

Warren was struggling to get to his feet. She quickly grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. “You motherfucker.” She growled at him. “I’m gonna rip you apart, you son of a bitch.” She pulled him forward and drove him back again. “Or maybe I’ll feed you to Spike.”

“Like he can hurt me,” Warren said, not the least bit frightened.

“Oh, he’s changed, shit bag. He’s lost his chip. He’s back to fighting weight.” She grinned at him. “And he’s just dying to get his hands on you for what you did to his girl.”

Warren slowly put his hand into his pocket, closing his fist around another of his gadgets. “You’re a hero, Faith. You won’t kill me. That’s not what good guys do.”

“You ever heard of the anti-hero, dick splash?” Faith asked him. “Think of me as Deadpool, motherfucker. I’ll tear you apart with a smile, then you know what I’m gonna do? After you’re dog food?” She again slammed him back. “I’m gonna go home and fuck my girlfriends and forget all about your pathetic ass.”

“No.” He said. “You’re not.” He lifted his hand and closed his eyes, before opening his fist.

A painful blinding flash lit up the room. Faith backed away from him, rubbing her eyes. “Christ.” She said, weakly.

Warren took his opportunity and ran. He staggered out of the room and down to his truck.

It took several minutes before any of them could see. Halos surrounded everything Faith looked at. She, more than anyone else was affected by the flash thanks to her enhanced senses. But, likewise, she was faster to recover, given her slayer healing. She blinked her eyes and moved over to Andrew. He lay on the floor whimpering in pain. She pulled the sword free and tossed it aside. She lifted the phone and dialed 9-1-1. “We need an ambulance…” She said, her voice filled with anger.

Faith, Willow, and Tara sat in the waiting room with Jonathan. He was quiet as could be. Every so often the girls would eyeball him. Faith had to use the wire cutters on her multi-tool to free him from the trap that Warren had used. She was so beyond pissed that it wasn’t even funny.

Both Dawn and Andrew had been taken to the ER. They were now simply waiting to hear word. Faith called everyone and informed of what happened and that Dawn was simply getting checked out and that she would be fine. No one seemed to really give a shit about Andrew. Not that anyone present could blame them.

A Doctor entered the waiting room. “Are you the ones that brought in Dawn Summers?”

“I’m Faith. This is Willow and Tara. We should be on her emergency contacts list.”

He gave her a nod. “Blood count is rather low, but it isn’t life-threatening. With some rest and plenty of fluids, she should be fine in a few days.” He said with a smile. “We’ve gone ahead and given her an injection that’ll stimulate her blood cell production. She can go home today if you’d like.”

The girls all nodded. “Thanks, Doc.” Faith said. “What about the other kid we brought in? His name is Andrew Wells.”

“I’m not the attending on his case, but I can find out. I’ll have a nurse come and speak with you.” He offered.

“Appreciate it.” Faith said, nodding. She turned to Jonathan. “You okay, Hoss?”

“I’m alright.” He said, moving over to sit back down. “I knew Warren was crazy, but I never thought he’d go this far.” He looked at them. “You gotta believe me. When we first started this it was, it was supposed to be fun. Just trying to get a leg up. It was our chance to stop being geeks and losers and do something cool. Something worthwhile.”

“You got a pretty fucked up sense of what’s worthwhile.” Faith said, angrily.

“I know.” He said. “But…well, we were pissed off. I mean, we were treated like crap by everyone. Me, Andrew and Warren, we were all treated pretty badly by everyone.”

“That doesn’t give you the right…” Willow began.

“Look, don’t lecture me, alright?” He snapped. “We screwed up. We know that. That’s why we came back. We’re here to help. We started this mess and we wanna help clean it up.”

“You did save Dawn,” Tara said, softly. “That means a lot to us. And you did try and stop Warren and his vampire minion from taking her a second time.”

“Yeah, for all the good it did us,” Jonathan said. “I couldn’t pull my bone out fast enough.” Faith stifled a snicker. Willow face-palmed and Tara just grinned, hiding behind her hair. “Shut up.” He snapped.

“Sorry.” Faith said, trying to regain her composure. “You guys stalled them for a few seconds. Sometimes that’s all that’s needed.”

“What I don’t understand is why that vampire was able to come into our hotel room,” Jonathan said. “I mean, shouldn’t that count as a domicile?”

“Motels and hotels are gray areas.” Faith said. “Technically, they’re considered public space, just like a homeless shelter.”

“Angel had to be invited into mine and Buffy’s dorm room,” Willow said. “So did Spike.”

“That’s different. A dorm room is considered a residence. You live there long term. Say, for example, if you were to rent a hotel room by the month or something like that, then it might count as a personal space, but as it sits, night by night?” She shook her head. “It’s open season.”

Willow suddenly looked at Faith with sorrow in her eyes. She stepped over and hugged her tightly. “God, I’m so sorry.”

Faith was forced back a step by the sudden rush. “Um…okay.” She said, wrapping her arms about her girlfriend. “For what?”

Willow pulled back and kissed Faith with a fiery passion. “The whole time you were here before when you were staying in those dingy motel rooms…” She was becoming misty-eyed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Red, it’s alright. That’s all past shit.” Faith said, concerned for her love.

“No, it isn’t alright, Faith. We should have done something. All the nights you spent alone, never truly feeling safe. A vampire could have gotten in and taken you…” She began crying. “We should have done something. If only we’d have known.”

Faith pulled her in and hugged her. “Shhh. It’s alright, Willow. Nothing happened. I’m fine. You didn’t know me back then. You have no way of knowing…”

“Because we were stupid!” Willow said, sobbing. “I was such a bitch to you. God, I was so mean. I should have been your friend, Faith.” She leaned her head against the girl’s chest. “I should have been your friend.”

Faith just held the girl as she cried. She wasn’t sure what to say. She looked at Tara for help. The blonde simply led the pair over to the sofa. She sat on the opposite side of Willow and caressed the girl’s back as she wept.

Jonathan watched the tender display and couldn’t help but feel responsible. Willow’s breakdown, in truth, had nothing to do with what he and his friend had done. But that didn’t stop him from feeling like he was the cause. He settled back in the seat and crossed his arms. He wanted nothing more than to put a hex on Warren so ferocious that it would make him wish for the welcoming arms of death. And that scared him. He had never actively wanted someone dead before.

Faith felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder. She turned to see Dawn in a wheelchair. “Is everything okay?” The teen asked.

Faith nodded. Willow wiped her tears away and smiled at her. “Hey, Dawnie.”

“Why were you crying?” Dawn asked.

“It’s nothing. Just old memories coming back to haunt me.” Willow said. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I got drained to unconsciousness by a vampire, you?”

“Nice to see that razor sharp wit of yours didn’t suffer.” Tara offered.

“What about Andrew?” Dawn asked, looking at Jonathan. “Any word?”

“Not yet.” The boy said. “I’m sorry we couldn’t protect you better.”

“Hey, you guys went to bat for me. That takes balls.” Dawn said.

“Dawn!” Kit shouted from the door. She ran across the waiting room and slid to a stop on her knees. “I came as soon as school got out. Are you okay?”

“Just a little blood loss.” Dawn offered, touching the girl’s cheek. “I’ll be fine in a few days.”

“You know…” Faith began with a smile. “She’s probably gonna need someone to run and fetch for her for a spell. Know any cute young thangs that are willing to play nurse?” She asked Kit.

“I’m sure my mom would be okay with it.” Kit said, looking at Dawn. “Let me take care of you until you’re better?”

“I’d be a fool to say no,” Dawn said, smiling.

“Excuse me.” A nurse said, stepping up to the group. “You’re the party that brought Andrew Wells in?” She asked. Everyone nodded. “He’s out of surgery. The wound was pretty minimal. It went through his shoulder and punctured his scapula. The doctors were able to clean it and stitch him up. He’s going to be tender and sore for a few weeks, but he should regain one hundred percent mobility in time. When we discharge him, it’ll have a list of exercises to keep his arm from atrophying.”

“Can we go see him?” Jonathan asked.

“He’s heavily sedated right now. He won’t be awake again for another twelve to fourteen hours.” She said. “You should all head home and get some rest. He’s mostly out of the woods, but there’s nothing more you can do for him until tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” Faith said. She turned to Jonathan. “As much as I hate saying this, you’d probably be safer coming and staying at our place tonight.”

He looked at her. “You sure Spike isn’t gonna wanna eat me?”

“Oh, I’m sure he’ll want to, but he won’t. Believe it or not, even without his chip, he’s one of the good guys. He’s earned his soul back.” Faith said. “He’ll leave you alone, I promise.”

“I have to go to the room and get my stuff. Andrew’s too.” He said.

Faith pulled her keys out and handed them to Tara. “Here. Drive my Roadrunner home.” She looked at Willow. “You, K and little D take the Jeep. Johnny and I will take his Ranchero and meet you guys at home.”

“Be careful,” Tara said, kissing Faith. “Warren is still out there.”

Willow followed suit. “Hurry back.”

The group all departed. Dawn immediately got up out of the wheelchair and promptly staggered. Kit wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and held her fast. “I’ve got you.” She said, softly. “I’m not gonna let you fall.”

Dawn smiled at her. “Thanks.”

After they were loaded into the rigs and pulled away, Faith turned to Jonathan and held her hand out. “I’m driving.” She said, firmly.

He offered her the keys and climbed into the passenger seat. “Just be careful with it.”

“What is this, a 73?” Faith asked as she slid behind the wheel.

“I think so,” Jonathan said. “The guy I bought it from said it was a GT. Whatever that means.”

“You own it and you don’t know anything about it?” Faith asked him.

“I’m not a car guy.” He said. “I just know that it gets really crappy gas mileage and is loud as heck.”

Faith fired it up. “Well, it’s got headers and dual exhaust, I can tell you that.” She grinned. “Sounds like glass packs.” She dropped the transmission into drive. “Sucks that it’s an automatic.” She buried the gas, causing the tires to roast. “She can still do a burnout, though. That’s a 429 for you.” She feathered the gas and took off out of the parking lot. “This is a nice rig, Johnny.”

“Thanks.” He said, somewhat nervous. He needn’t have worried about it. Faith proved that she was a rather gifted driver.

The pair made it to the motel and gathered the boys’ gear and loaded it up. They arrived at the Summers house a few minutes later. Faith pulled the car up to the curb and stopped. “Here we are.” She said, smiling. “Home sweet home.”

Jonathan sighed heavily as he followed her to inside. Everyone stood staring at him. “Hi.” He said, weakly. Suddenly, he felt like this was a very, very bad idea.

 


	70. Chapter 70

 

“You gotta lot of nerve showin’ up here after what you pulled,” Spike growled at the boy.

Jonathan nodded. “I-I know.” He said, sheepishly. “I just, I wanna help now. Warren’s gotten as far as he has partially because of me and Andrew. We need to help you stop him. Him and that vampire he’s with.” He shook his head. “Crazy bitch.”

Faith rested a hand on his shoulder. “It’s alright. We appreciate the help.” She looked at Spike, letting him know in no uncertain terms that Jonathan was off the menu.

“Besides that, Spike. If not for the blunder-twins here, I’d be dead or worse.” Dawn said. “Sad as it is to say, they saved my ass.”

The blonde vampire looked at Dawn and sighed. He turned back to Jonathan. “I suppose I should thank you for that.” He narrowed his eyes. “I won’t. But I should.” With that, he turned and headed up the stairs.

Justine, quiet until now, looked Jonathan in the eyes. “That’s as close to a thank you as you’re ever likely to get.”

The boy nodded, sadly. He couldn’t fault Spike at all. Justine was nearly killed because of Warren. True, Jonathan had nothing to do with that, but that didn’t stop the vampire from blaming him. If not for him and Andrew, Warren would never have been able to accomplish a lot of what he’d done. So, in a way, he was sort of responsible. It was in a very roundabout fashion, but that didn’t mean anything to Spike. Blame was blame and he shared some, regardless.

“You get the sofa, squishy.” Faith said to the boy. “But it’s actually not that bad.”

Jonathan shrugged. “I’ve slept on worse.” He said softly. He moved over and sat down, setting his bag down beside him on the floor.

“So what do we know?” Faith asked, leaning against the credenza and crossing her arms.

“We know that Warren is working with a vampire,” Dawn said. “From what you’ve said, she has really powerful mind-screwing powers.”

Willow furrowed her brow. “Wait a minute.” She rubbed her face with her hands. “That’s familiar, somehow.”

“What is?” Faith asked her.

“You know who the vampire is?” Tara asked.

“Mind powers…crazy?” Willow asked. She looked at Jonathan. “Did she talk all… whimsical? Kind of just rambling without really making a lot of sense?”

Jonathan, Dawn, and Faith all nodded. “When we fought on the truck, she didn’t seem out of it. But this last time…yeah, she had a fuckin’ screw loose, let me tell ya.” Faith offered.

“It can’t be,” Willow said, suddenly getting it. She moved over to the foot of the stairs. “Spike! Justine! Get down here!” She shouted.

The pair came down a moment later. “What’s with the bellowing, Glinda?”

“I think we’ve got a serious problem. And part of it’s your problem.” Willow said.

“What do you mean?” Justine asked.

“It would seem your ex is in town,” Willow said to the vampire.

“Come again?” Spike said, not understanding.

“Drusilla,” Willow said, simply. “She’s the vampire Warren is working with.”

“Are you sure?” He asked. She looked at Jonathan. “What did she look like?”

“Tall, dark hair…” The boy began.

“Hot as hell.” Faith added. “Eyes that just kind of…”

“Drew you in.” Dawn finished. Faith nodded. “Talked in weird cryptic riddles and stuff.”

Spike sighed and leaned against the wall. “Bloody Nora.” He said, rubbing his face in his hand.

“Something you should tell me?” Justine asked. “I gotta compete with this bitch?”

“No, it’s pretty well over between us,” Spike said. “I…it wasn’t a smooth breakup.”

“Never is,” Justine said, leaning against him.

“We’ve got a bigger problem,” Daniel said as he came out of the kitchen with glasses of Ice Tea. “If she’s a vampire and Warren’s shacking up with her…What if she turns him?”

“With his brains  _and_  being a vampire?” Jonathan said, shuddering.

“That would actually be just about the best thing that could ever happen.” Faith said, slapping her fist into her palm.

“Okay, you  _really_  have to explain that logic,” Dawn said. “Cause I’m not seeing the upside of that.”

“Two reasons that works for us. First off, it takes him out of the realm of being human and puts him squarely into our ballpark. The reason none of us have killed him yet is precisely because he’s human. Any way you slice it, it’s murder. I’m not happy with that. I don’t really fancy going back to prison. Been there, done that. Not real flattering in prison-issue blue.”

“I thought prisoners wore orange,” Jonathan said.

“Not always. Prison I went to, we wore navy blue.” Faith said. “Not the sexiest look, gotta be honest.”

“Okay,” Dawn said. “So it makes him a vampire. That was one reason. What’s the other? You said there were two.”

“It severely limits his activity. Right now, if he wanted to, he could just sneak into the house and do who knows what. Being a vamp makes him only able to move around unfettered at night and we’re safe from him as long as we’re in the house.”

“Not necessarily,” Spike said. “Dru gets any of you outside, she could put the whammy on you and get you to let her or him in.” He looked at Kit. “Or she could play someone against you.”

“I won’t let him in.”

Faith moved over and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Wouldn’t matter, anyway. You don’t live here. You wouldn’t be able to.” Kit seemed to be reassured by that. “But be that as it may, no one goes anywhere alone from here on. Day or night, we’re all on the buddy system.” She looked to Willow. “Do us a solid and call Giles and Xander. Let ‘em both know what we’re dealing with.” She turned to Tara. “Any way you and red could get together and fashion us some sort of charm or something that’ll keep us from getting mind-fucked?”

Tara nodded. “I think so. The ingredients might be expensive, but I believe I can.”

“Get together with Anya. Get what you need. Also look into protection spells…” Faith began.

“I can do that,” Jonathan said, eager to help. “I mean, I’m not as powerful as Willow or Tara here, but with their help, we can put together a really strong barrier.”

Faith ruffled his hair. “Good lookin’ out.” The action earned a happy smile from the boy. “Spike and me are on hunting duty. Double B is on protection detail.” She looked to Justine. “We need you to head back to the hospital and keep an eye on Andrew. In case Warren tries to get to him. Finish what he started.”

Justine nodded. “I’ll keep him safe.”

Spike moved over to her. “Be careful, love. I don’t wanna lose you.”

She pulled him down and kissed him. “Not a problem. I know what I’m dealing with, now.” She turned and offered her fist to Faith. “Anything goes down, I’ll just try and get him out. I’m not gonna play hero.”

Faith bumped it, nodding. “Cool. Just be careful.” She looked back to the group. “Anyone comes to the door, Double B answers it.”

“I can’t be swayed by Drusilla’s eyes.” The robot said. “Also, we should set up a contingency plan. Maybe contact Angel and let him know what we’re dealing with. If we don’t call him every so often to update him, have him come up to check on us.”

“Not a bad plan.” Faith said. “T-bear. You willing to make the call?” The girl nodded. “Alright. We’ve got a game plan. K? Get little D upstairs and tucked into bed.” She eyed Dawn. “You’re sidelined, squirt.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dawn said, heading for the stairs. “Come on, nurse. Put me to bed.” Kit smiled and followed her.

“Come on, Spike. Let’s roll. We’re going hunting.”

 

Warren was beyond pissed. He moved around the new basement lair he’d found, kicking boxes and flipping tables. Drusilla watched him, laughing lightly. The boy’s antics offered her no end of fascination and enjoyment. What he was doing to the slayer and her friends was wonderful fun.

He stopped and looked at her. “You think this is funny?” He asked her.

She nodded. “The slayer is a slippery snake. It takes a delicate hand to snare her.”

He stormed over and gripped her throat. “I don’t need lectures from a psychotic freak.” He growled. Drusilla’s eyes darkened and her smile faded, replaced with an iron hard and icy cold visage. “Don’t try that eye bullshit on me. We already know that doesn’t work.”

She slowly reached up and gripped his wrist and began squeezing. Her grip was like a vise. He hissed in pain and immediately let her go. She, however, kept her grasp on his arm. “I’m not like the human hussies you’re used to dealing with.” All pretense of whimsy and lilt was gone from her tone. “You see the sunrise because I allow it,  _little boy_.” She continued to crush his wrist. The bones began to creak. “Don’t you  _ever_  forget that.” She finally released him.

Warren looked up at her. He was on his knees before her…someplace that he never wanted to be. She was stronger than him, faster than him and a damn sight tougher than him. What he wouldn’t give to be that strong. To have that kind of power. Suddenly, he smiled widely. “Thank you.” He said to her. He shot to his feet and pulled her in, kissing her.

Drusilla was shocked to say that least. She didn’t necessarily like the boy, but credit where credit was due, the boy could kiss. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

After a moment, he pulled away. He stared into her piercing eyes. “I wanna be like you.” He said, grinning evilly. “I wanna be a vampire.”

Drusilla raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” She asked him. “You want to be one of my children?”

He nodded. “The slayer beats me at every turn. Her and her stupid friends. I want the strength, the  _power_  to beat  _them_. You can give me that.”

Drusilla slowly drew a wide smile. She began giggling, it then turned to loud boisterous laughter. She threw her head back, maniacally cackling.

Warren started laughing as well. Finally, he’d be on even footing with the slayer. “I wanna make her scream.”

Drusilla stopped laughing and lowered her head, her face twisted into the undead visage of her breed. “You first.” She said, violently biting down on his carotid.

And scream Warren did. Suddenly faced with death, he was terrified. He tried pushing her away, but her strength only grew as his own faded. His world was quickly growing dim as she slowly lowered him to the cold stone floor.

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Xander said, dropping to the sofa in his condo. Anya nestled in beside him.

“I wish I was,” Willow said as she leaned against the kitchen island, phone in hand. She watched as Daniel moved about, cooking dinner for the group.

“Drusilla?” Xander asked. “You guys are sure it’s her?”

“As sure as we can be. The pieces all fit.” Willow offered. “We’re kind of on lockdown until we get everything sussed out. Me, Tara and Jonathan wanna come over and do a protection spell on your apartment. Just in case.”

“Sounds like a plan. You sure we can trust Jonathan?” He asked.

“Yeah, I think so. He seems pretty shaken by everything that’s happened. He isn’t  _that_ good of an actor. He really wants to do things right to make up for what they put us through. If we can forgive Faith and Spike, we can forgive Jonathan and Andrew.”

“Not like I can really throw stones.” He said, looking at his wife. “Is there anything you need from me?”

“Just for you to be careful,” Willow said. “And protect that wife of yours.”

“That’s a given.” He said. “I’ll make sure I’m packin’ wherever I go. Anya too.”

“Only thing we can do. Faith’s left standing orders that no one goes anywhere alone.”

“Also a given,” Xander said. “Thanks for calling to let us know. I’ll talk to you later.” He said before ending the call. He sighed heavily and rubbed his face with his hands. “We so don’t need this right now.”

“Who is Drusilla?” Anya asked.

“A pain our asses,” Xander said, sadly. “She came to town with Spike in our Junior Year…” He went on to spin the tale of the psychotic vampire.

Anya listened with interest.

 

Giles stood at the stove, cooking when the phone rang. “Would you be a dear and get that for me?” He asked Olivia.

“Of course.” The woman said, lifting the cordless. “Giles residence.” She answered.

“Hey, Olivia. It’s Willow.”

“Hello, Willow.” She said, looking to Giles. “Did you need to speak with Rupert?”

“If I could, please.”

The dark skinned woman moved across the living room and handed him the phone, taking over the cooking.

“Hello, Willow. To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?” Giles asked, wiping his hand on his apron.

“We’ve got trouble.” The redhead offered. “We found out who the vampire was that’s working with Warren.”

“Oh?” Giles said, moving to his desk. He pulled out a pen and paper. “Did you need me to research her?”

“No. We know pretty much everything we need to know about her. It’s Drusilla.”

“Drusilla?” Giles repeated. “Are you certain? I was given to understand she was dead.”

“Nope. She’s alive and well, or…unalive and well or…undead and unwell…un…she’s not dead. Well, she is dead, but she’s not  _dead_  dead. Oh, you know what I mean. She’s in Sunnydale and she’s gumming up the works.”

“Yes, I know what you mean.” He said, trying not to let the smile show in his voice. “How is Dawn?”

“She’s fine. She’s upstairs right now resting. Kit is running and fetching for her. Faith has sidelined her for the time being.”

“For the best.” Giles agreed. “What about Andrew?”

“Justine is going to the hospital to watch over him in case Warren and Drusilla try to finish what they started,” Willow stated. “The two of them really came through for Dawnie. I’m surprised.”

“I didn’t expect them to end up as the hero types.” Giles returned. “May be hope for them yet.”

“Hey, if Faith can find redemption, so can they.”

“They’ve made a grand start,” Giles said. “So what’s the plan?”

“Tara, Jonathan and I are going to come to everyone’s place and put up a protection barrier. Jonathan says he knows one that’s really good, but it takes serious magic power to cast. The three of us together should be able to get it done.”

“Good show,” Giles said. “I’m home all night if you wanted to stop by.” He looked at Olivia’s rather sour expression. “You know, for a  _short_  visit.” This earned a nod from the woman.

“We’ll make sure and get your flat first,” Willow said. “Then we’ll hit Xander and Anya’s place.”

“I appreciate that,” Giles said. “I’ll see you in a little while.” He said, ending the call. He set the phone back on the charger and shook his head. “Bloody wonderful.”

“Vampire problems?” Olivia asked.

“It would appear so. A rather vicious piece of work from our past.” Giles said. “Seems to be a pattern lately.”

“Whatever it is, you’ll handle it,” Olivia said, smiling. “It’s what you do.”

He moved over and pulled her in for a kiss. “I’ll never let anything happen to you.”

“I know.” She said, returning his embrace. “If I didn’t trust you, Ripper, I wouldn’t have let you drag me halfway around the world to live with you.”

He stared into her eyes and couldn’t help but return her smile. Slowly, she reached up and pulled his glasses off, setting them on the counter.

 

Cordy smiled down at Connor as she wandered about the office. She had the bottle up to his lips, letting the boy drink. The phone rang loudly. She moved over and tapped the speaker button. “Angel Investigations, we help the helpless. How can we help you today?”

“Hello, Cordelia.”

“Hey, Tara. How’s Dawn doing?” Cordy asked. “Faith called and told us what happened.”

“She’s fine. A bit of blood loss, but nothing life-threatening. She’s upstairs right now, getting some rest.”

“That’s good. Angel wanted to mount up and ride up there to start breaking heads.” Cordy chuckled. “He’s so macho.”

“Dawn is really the only piece of Buffy he has left. You can’t really blame him.” Tara offered.

“I suppose that’s true…as skeevy as that sounds.” The girls both giggled. “So what makes you call us?”

“Is Angel there?”

“No. Wesley, Gunn and him went out to stop some sort of demon.” Cordy returned.

“Another vision?” Tara asked.

“Yeah. I see ‘em, they slay ‘em. And I get to spend time with this little cutie.”

“How’s he doing?”

“Oh, he’s doing great. Getting big. Doctors said he’s as healthy as a baby boy can be. Made Angel feel good.”

“I bet. I suppose I’ll just come right out with it. Drusilla is in Sunnydale.” Tara said, softly.

Cordy stopped moving and stared at the phone. “Did you say Drusilla?”

“Yeah. She’s working with Warren, apparently.”

“That’s not good. Did you guys need backup?” Cordy asked, settling down into the chair.

“No. At least not yet. Buffybot actually came up with a really good idea. You guys are our contingency plan. She suggested putting a standing order in with you guys that if someone from our group doesn’t call every twelve hours then something is seriously wrong and we’re gonna need that help.”

Cordy nodded. She quickly jotted the instructions down. “Should we be expecting anyone in particular?”

“Not at the moment. If things get bad, we’ll set up a rotation, but for now, just anyone from the house will do.”

“What times?” Cordy asked. “Midnight and noon?”

“For now, yeah. Keep it simple.” Tara said. “That’s easy to remember.”

“Got it,” Cordy said. “So, how was Vegas?”

“It was fun. We really enjoyed ourselves.” Tara offered. “Spike ran into someone from his past. Got his butt kicked.”

“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”

“ _Wouldn’t_ have happened to a nicer guy,” Tara responded. “He’s doing good, now. He and Justine are happy.”

“I still can’t believe Xander is married. That’s just…it’s taking some getting used to.” Cordy said, somewhat sadly. She still had a soft spot for the boy. Once upon a time, she loved him. She occasionally kicked herself for not reconnecting with him. Now, it would seem it was too late.

“Trust me, we were just as surprised as you were. Anya was making such a huge deal about wanting a wedding, only to do a chapel wedding in Vegas. It was kind of surreal.”

“If it wasn’t surreal, it wouldn’t be us, would it?” Cordy asked.

“True,” Tara said, laughing. “Thanks for helping us out.”

“It’s what we do,” Cordy said, nodding. “If you need anything else, let us know.”

“I will. Talk to you later.” Tara said, before hanging up.

 

Drusilla sat quietly, staring at the boy as he lay still on the bed the two shared. She couldn’t help but smile. Until Warren’s heart finally gave out, his screams were delicious. She knew that, when the boy rose, the strength of the undead would be a just reward for him. He was stubborn, she had to admit.

What wonderful havoc he would wreak upon the slayer when he awoke. She sighed and thought a moment. When he finally did rise, the thirst would be upon him. It would dominate his every thought, every action. He would need food.

She suddenly smiled. She knew exactly what he needed. Drusilla was nothing if not pragmatic. She got up from her seat and drew her heavy robe about her slim shoulders. She took the keys to his truck and ascended the stairs and made her way to the large vehicle. She drove along the streets, doing her best not to garner attention.

She pulled up in front of the two-story home and came to a stop. She stepped out of the rig and glided up to the front porch, knocking lightly.

The door opened to reveal a rather attractive chestnut haired girl. “Um…can I help you?”

“Yes, you can…” Drusilla said, letting her eyes capture the girl. “You could start by inviting me in.”

The girl’s face went slack. “Please.” She said, stepping aside. “Come in.”

Drusilla smiled as she entered the house, closing the door behind her.

 


	71. Chapter 71

 

Spike leaned against the mausoleum and lit a cigarette. He took a long drag and flipped his Zippo lighter closed, tucking it away in his pocket. He relaxed and watched as Faith beat the shit out of the vampire.

The pair had been hunting for hours, trying as hard as they could to find where Warren and Drusilla had been holing up. So far, they’d had no luck. Now, Faith was beyond angry. She was praying as they drove through the town to find something to occupy her mind. She wanted something to take her frustration out on.

After chasing the vampire through the graveyard, she cornered him and went to town. He tried mounting an offense. He even landed several hard punches across the brunette slayer’s face, but she seemed not to notice. Blood dripped from her split lip and her left eye was almost swollen shut, but she shrugged the blows off. Her fists hammered every part of him. She growled like a beast as she turned and threw him against the wall, causing Spike to scurry out of the way.

“Careful, slayer.” He said, nearly getting clubbed by the dazed undead.

Faith ignored him as she stalked into the vampire. Her side kick impacted his gut, doubling him over. She jumped issuing a hard scissor-kick to the back of his head, dropping him to the ground. Snarling, she gripped his hair and threw him upward and back, slamming him against the wall. Her reverse high kick caught him in the teeth, cracking his head against the stone, fracturing his skull. She then spun and kicked him with the other foot, mashing the back of his head to mush. He fell to the ground, no longer able to defend himself.

Faith lifted her foot and stomped on his head until there was little more than lumpy red paste. The vampire finally blew away in a hail of dust. Faith then tilted her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs, before falling to her knees, breathing heavily.

For several seconds she just sat there, not moving. Spike stepped over and knelt beside her. He tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and drew a few calming breaths before turning to regard him. “Sorry.” She said, softly.

“It’s alright, slayer. Had to get it out of your system.” He drew in a drag of his smoke and ground it out on the grass. He put the remainder in his pocket and stood, pulling her up with him. “Come on. You got girls waiting for you.”

“I just don’t understand where the hell he could have gone.” Faith said. “I mean he was so brazen, then…nothing. He just up and vanishes like a fart in the fuckin’ wind.”

“I don’t know,” Spike admitted as the pair made their way back to the car. “It’s a mystery alright.”

“I just hope we find him soon. The more time he has to prepare the more dangerous he seems to get.”

“He didn’t seem too ready this last time.” Spike offered.

“If not for Jonathan and Andrew, God bless the little shits, he’d have taken Dawn. Who the fuck knows what he would have done to her? As it was Drusilla was draining her ass when the pipsqueak brigade showed up.” Faith said. “They really saved her ass.” She shook her head. “I’m never gonna forget that. Far as I’m concerned, that right there makes up for all the bullshit they pulled up till now.”

“Not like they really did anything that was anything more than annoying,” Spike admitted. “I mean, the demons at the construction site got you a good job and the time loop spell …” He chuckled. “That was just funny.”

“To you, maybe.” Faith said. “That sucked for me.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt,” Spike said as he climbed into the passenger seat of her Roadrunner. “But I’m an evil sod. I like watching people suffer, remember?”

“I keep forgetting that about you.” Faith said, firing the car up. “Asshole.”

“Now you’re getting it,” Spike said, laughing.

Faith shook her head and pulled away from the curb, heading for home.

 

Willow and Tara sat in the casting circle on the floor and concentrated. “They’re vacuuming that up,” Anya said as she stood beside Xander, holding his hands.

He looked at the floor around the girls. They’d made a large intricate symbol on the carpet with salt. He had to admit, it made one hell of a mess. But in the long run, it was a small price to pay. “I’ll take care of it.” He said, trying not to chuckle. The remark was so very… _Anya_.

“No.” The ex-demon said in a sharp whisper. “You work very hard. You shouldn’t have to do housework. They made the mess, they can clean it up.” She turned back to the girls. “Not to would just be rude.”

“Honey,” Xander said, turning to his wife. “They’re doing a very big favor for us. This is a really difficult spell. It’s taking a lot out of them to make sure that we’re safe. We’re not going to thank them for doing it then make them vacuum our floors.  _That_  would be rude.” As she began to protest, he pulled her in and kissed her. “It would be like someone donating large boxes filled with magical artifacts to the store, then you getting mad because they didn’t take the boxes that the stuff came in with them when they left.”

“That would just be silly,” Anya said. “I would need the boxes for the artifacts until we got them priced and shelved.”

Xander sighed and shook his head. “Some days you’re really strange, you know that?”

Anya smiled and pulled him in. “Just  _some_  days, huh?”

“What can I say? I like a little strange in my life.” Xander said holding her close.

“If there wasn’t any strange in your life, would it really  _be_  your life?” She asked, kissing him.

“I don’t think so.” He said, sharing the embrace.

Willow and Tara weren’t listening to the pair. They simply kept their attention on the spell they’d found. It was incredibly high caliber and took a lot of strength to cast. But when done, it would be able to keep all but the most powerful of magical forces from entering the apartment unbidden. As the magic built, a strong wind began swirling around them. The salt on the floor lifted in the air, forming a cyclone about the girls. With a final chant, the wind blasted outward. The salt dissolved into the walls of the condo.

The pair slumped to the floor, breathing heavily. Xander pulled away from Anya and moved over, kneeling beside the pair. “You guys okay?” He asked.

They both nodded. “It was just a lot of magic,” Willow said. “Tingly magic.”

“We’ll be fine in a few minutes,” Tara said.

“At least we don’t have to worry about the salt,” Anya said, looking around. “Thank you for cleaning it up.”

Willow lifted her arm and gave the woman a thumbs up. After about ten minutes, the girls were able to get to their feet. They were a little shaky, but otherwise fine. “You should be quite well protected.” The redhead offered.

“If we survive the freezing process, that is,” Xander said, deadpan.

Tara and Anya just stared at him, not understanding. Willow, however, giggled. “You’re almost as big a nerd as Jonathan and Andrew.”

“I don’t get it,” Anya said, looking from Xander to Willow.

“That’s alright,” Xander said. “It was a really bad joke.” He looked to Tara and Willow. “You guys done?”

Taking their cue, the pair smiled and nodded. “Yes, we are. Faith should be home soon.” Tara said. “You two have a good night.”

Xander shut the door behind them and turned to Anya…who’d pulled down the straps of her dress and let it fall to the floor. He gave her a wide smile and stepped up, wrapping his arms about her slim form.

 

He opened his eyes and couldn’t think past how thirsty he was. He was on a bed. It was the bed he and Drusilla shared. He felt…strange. Everything was brighter. Even in the dimness of the room, he could see every detail on the ceiling. He ran his tongue over his teeth and could feel the elongated canines.

He could smell something. The room was thick with it. Blood. The coppery scent of blood permeated everything. He sat up and looked around. Drusilla glided over and sat on the bed beside him. “My little boy has woken up.” She cradled his head to her chest. “Are you hungry?” She asked him.

“I’m thirsty as hell.” He said, enjoying the feel of her. “I smell blood.” He said, softly. “And I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Drusilla stood and moved over to a chair, pulling a sheet off of whoever was sitting there. “I thought this little birdie might be ripe for our flock.”

Warren was shocked as he stared upon the frightened form of… “Amy?” He asked, sharply.

She was bound hand and foot and was gagged as she sat wide-eyed. She shook her head and was crying.

He couldn’t help but grin widely. He got off the bed and walked over to her. “Looks like the tables have turned, somewhat, haven’t they?” He said, moving around her. He reached down and gripped her shirt and lifted her bodily from the ground with one arm. He couldn’t help but chuckle at how terrified she was. “Why so scared?” He asked her. “Last time we met, you were so confident. You had so much to say.” He set her back down and pulled her gag off. “What do you have to say, now?” He said, leaning closer to her.

“You don’t wanna do this,” Amy said, her fear causing her voice to crack. “Just let me go. I won’t say anything, I swear.”

“Oh, I think we’re past that, don’t you?” He said. He cut the ropes securing her hands and feet. “But don’t worry, you won’t feel a thing.” As soon as her foot was free, she tried kicking him in the face. He caught her leg at the ankle, holding it fast. “You try that again…” He gave a hard squeeze. Pain shot up her leg. “I’ll break your ankle.” He held it as he cut her other leg free.

He stepped away and stared down at her. “Are you going to kill me?” She asked him.

“At first.” He said, smiling. “But you’ll get over it.” He reached for her.

“Not if I have anything to say about it,” Amy said, throwing her hand forward. “Incediere.” She snapped. She was shocked when a few errant sparks shot from her hand but otherwise did nothing.

He chuckled at her. “There’s a magic suppression field around this building. None of your powers will work in here. I knew that I’d eventually have to deal with that bitch Willow and her girlfriend. So I’ve taken precautions.” He gripped her throat and lifted her from the chair, turned her about and pulled her back against him.

Drusilla watched and smiled brightly. “Make her one of us, my child.” She said, happily.

Warren entwined his fingers in Amy’s hair and pulled her head to the side, exposing the side of her long tanned neck. He ran his tongue along the skin found there.

“Please, Warren.” She begged. “Don’t.”

He growled and bit down, drinking from her slowly. Amy wept as she tried desperately to get away from him. His strength was far beyond anything she could have expected. His arm was wrapped about her waist, pinning her own arms to her sides. She couldn’t free herself as hard as she tried.

He felt her going limp. He held her up, draining her quickly. “No, my pretty little boy,” Drusilla said, pulling his mouth from her neck. She was pale and slouching in his strong arms. “We have to bring her into the fold.” She led the girl to the bed and lay her down. She took Warren’s wrist and drew a line across his skin with her sharp nail. “Let her drink. Make her yours.” He did as she instructed, letting his blood drip onto her lips and into her mouth. Drusilla lifted Amy and tilted her head back, massaging her neck to coax her to swallow. “Just a drop to make her family.” She then lay her back on the bed. “Soon, she’ll be a cherished child.”

“But will we be able to trust her?” Warren said, licking the blood off of his wrist. “How do we know she won’t use her magic against us?”

“Because you’ll be her sire. She’ll want to do what you tell her.” Drusilla said. She gave him a smile. “And because she’ll have dreams. Waking dreams, sleeping dreams. Dreams of punishing the slayer and her friends.”

“You can do that?” He asked Drusilla.

“I can do that.” She said, rising to her feet. “We need to bring her food. And you need to get your strength back.”

Warren grinned widely. “I know just where to start.”

 

Cordelia moved around the room, holding Connor as Angel stood at the stove, heating the bottle of formula. “He’s gonna start gnawing on my hands here, pretty soon Angel,” Cordy said, trying to settle the fussing baby.

“I’m doing my best here, Cordy.” He said, watching as the bottle started warping as the pan melted it. “Dammit.” He said, pulling it from the burner.

“Oh, for god’s sake,” Cordy said, moving over and thrusting the baby into his arms. “Hold him.”

Angel set the pan down and took the grousing child. “Hey, there little guy.” He said, offering his finger. Connor immediately bit down on it. “Hehe. Little Connor’s got some sharp teeth.” He tried pulling his finger away. “Some really sharp teeth.” He tried again. “Okay, ow, ow. We don’t eat daddy.”

Cordy sighed and dumped the burnt bottle into the sink. “You want it warm, not boiling.” She said to him. She filled the pan half full with water. She then turned the burner down to low. She prepared another bottle of formula and set it into the water, keeping an eye on it. “Haven’t you been looking at any of the websites I’ve bookmarked for you?” Cordy asked as she waited.

“I’ve…been busy.” He said, sheepishly.

“Okay. You’re over two hundred years old and know a lot of things, Angel. But you can’t just go on instinct when it comes to children.” Cordy said. “It’s not like taking care of a dog or a cat.”

“I had a cat,” Angel said. “He hated me, but he always came back for food.”

“Sounds like a cat.” Cordy offered. “But you have to do a little research. You can track a demon through a library of books in an afternoon, but you can’t watch a five-minute video on Youtube?”

“It’s hard to…okay, that’s it, you really have to let go.” He said, pulling his finger away. The baby immediately began crying. “Shhh. It’s okay.” He said, bobbing the boy in his arms. “He’s crying again.”

“Like the ear-piercing wail wasn’t a dead giveaway,” Cordy said. “His pacifier is in his crib.” She said, feeling the bottle again. “It’s almost ready.”

Angel swept over and grabbed the blue plastic implement, placing in the boy’s mouth. Connor immediately began sucking on it. “How do you know how to do all of this, anyway? I mean, I know you’re not the prissy girl you used to be in high school anymore, but…I really never pegged you for the motherly type.”

Cordy could hear the soft appreciation in his tone. “Unlike a particular brooding misery guts I know, I actually do my homework. When I found out there was gonna be a baby on board, I started looking things up. I called Willow to ask her for help finding things. She found some really good websites and playlists for how to do these things.” She turned and looked at him and gave him a soft smile. “And I can think of worse things to be called than mommy.”

“I’d let him call you that, too,” Angel said, looking into her soft eyes.

She turned back to the burner and touched the bottle. She nodded and pulled it free of the water, turning the burner off. “Here.” She said, stepping over and offering it to him. She pulled the pacifier out as Angel popped the bottle into his mouth.

Cordy suddenly reached out, gripping Angel’s arm, holding herself steady. She closed her eyes and was a little unstable on her feet. He knew immediately what it meant, and held very, very still.

She watched intently with her mind’s eye. “Some boy, I don’t recognize him. Short brown hair, dull greenish eyes. He’s a vampire, I think. Kind of new. Oh, god.” She said, opening her eyes to look at Angel. “Drusilla was with him. She turned him.”

“What are they doing?” He asked.

“They’re at a…it almost looks like a drug den. It’s cloaked, hidden. Magically. There’s a guy with a…”

“A scarred face?” Angel asked. “Lazy eye?”

Cordy nodded. “I think they’re gonna kill him.”

“Good,” Angel said, his tone hard.

Cordy narrowed her eyes. “You can’t mean that.” She said, backing away from him. “That isn’t what we do, Angel.”

“You don’t know what he is, Cordy. You don’t know what he does. Sunnydale is better off without someone like him, trust me.”

“Who is he?” She asked. Angel was one of the few people that Cordy knew that believed everyone deserved a second chance. For God’s sake, he went to bat for Faith, of all people. If he felt her deserving of redemption, but the victim in her vision didn’t, then he must have done something truly horrible.

“The worst kind of parasite imaginable,” Angel said. “He preys on the young, the weak, the down and out.” He moved over and sat in the recliner. “I met him once when I was in Sunnydale. It was after I lost my soul. I needed people that knew about Acathla. I tracked him down and rattled his cage.”

“That’s all nice and…deranged, but that doesn’t answer my question.” Cordy said, pulling the ottoman over and sitting on it in front of him. “Who is he, Angel?”

“His name is Rack…and he’s a Warlock. What makes him so dangerous, and so despicable is what he does with his magic. He’s the supernatural equivalent of a Heroin dealer. He deliberately gets young adults,  _teenagers_  addicted to his particular brand of magic.”

“And you think because of this, he deserves to die?” Cordy asked him. She stared into his eyes.

“You don’t?” He asked her.

After several seconds of staring, she rose to her feet and left the room. She didn’t spare him a look or a word. She stepped out into the hallway and rubbed her face in her hands. She wiped the tears from her eyes and made her way downstairs. Wesley watched her as she walked through the lobby and into the office.

“Is everything alright?” He asked her as she passed. She shook her head and slammed the door. He looked to Lorne. “Do you think Angel said something to make her upset?”

“Wesley, baby. When doesn’t he?” The green skinned demon asked. “The sexual tension between those two is too thick to be cut with just about anything, save a howitzer.”

“You can’t tell me you ain’t noticed, Wes,” Gunn said, from the circular sofa in the middle of the floor. He ran the sharpening stone down the edge of the blade as he spoke.

“I’ve been suppressing.” The ex-watcher said, going back to his research.

Cordy lifted the phone and dialed the Summers’ residence. She sniffed and wiped the tears away with a tissue.

“Yo.” Faith answered as she stood at the stove, pushing rice around in the bottom of a massive wok.

“Hey, Faith,” Cordy said, trying to sound chipper.

“Hey, C. You sound down. What’s up.”

 _Should’ve known better than to try that with Faith_. Cordy thought. “I had a vision. It has to do with you guys.”

“What’s going on?” Faith asked, nodding at the doneness of her rice. She pulled it from the burner and knelt to pull the pans of egg rolls that she kept warm out of the oven.

“Do you know someone by the name of Rack?” Cordy asked.

“Yeah. He’s some sort of magic pusher.” Faith said. “He’s harmless, for the most part. An asshole, but beyond that…”

“In my vision, Warren and Drusilla were going after him. I’m not sure what they were going do with him, but my bet is they’re gonna kill him.” Cordy said. “I told Angel and he didn’t care.”

Faith stopped working and stood there a moment. “Seriously? Angel didn’t give a shit?”

“No. He said Sunnydale would be better off with him dead.” Cordy said. “I couldn’t believe Angel would say something like that.”

Faith, for her part, understood where Angel was coming from, she really did. Rack was bad news, any way you sliced it. And the vampire was right. The world  _would_  be better off without him around. But at the end of the day, that wasn’t a call they got to make. He was human. And like it or not, he fell under their protection. People sought him out to buy into what he was offering. He didn’t force it on anyone. It was a conscious choice. “Fuck.” She said, finally. “Sorry, C.”

“Oh, trust me, I swear a lot more than I should,” Cordy said. “But you have to save him, Faith. As much as you may not want to. I understand that he’s dangerous, I really do. But how much more dangerous would he be if they turned him?”

“I could have gone a long time without hearing you say that.” Faith said, putting the egg rolls down and turning everything off. “I’ll get the wrecking crew together and we’ll go save his wretched hide.”

“I’m actually shocked to hear you use the word wretched in a sentence,” Cordy said, giggling.

“I’m fuckin’ a nerd. Something’s bound to rub off.” Faith said.

“And on  _that_  note,” Cordy said, sighing.

“Seriously, Cordy. Give the guy some slack. He’s not wrong. If we just let Rack buy it, the world would be a better place.” Faith said. “Angel’s a vampire. As full of remorse and compassion as he is, he still thinks like a vampire. And certain people piss even the undead off.”

Cordy nodded. She then realized that Faith couldn’t see her. “I know. And part of me forgave him the second he said it. I’ll talk to him later.”

“We’ll take care of Rack.” Faith said. “Thanks for the head’s up.”

“Good luck,” Cordy said, before hanging up. She sighed and rose to her feet. She opened the door and saw Angel standing there.

“I’m sorry.” “Look, Angel.” He and she said, respectively.

“You go first,” Cordy said, crossing her arms and leaning against the desk.

“I’m sorry.” He said again. “I know you didn’t wanna hear that. And I know how it sounded. But there’s always been one kind of person, that, even Angelus couldn’t stand. They weren’t really known as drug dealers back in the day.”

“Snake oil salesman,” Cordy said, nodding. “I took history in high school. Did rather well, too.”

“You’ve always been smart,” Angel said, smiling. “But I can’t abide people like him. It just bothers me. It always has. It makes me jaded to the prospect of laying my life down for them. They poison the young, selling them God knows what to get a high.”

“So he’s beyond hope, is that what you’re saying?” Cordy asked him.

“I don’t know,” Angel said. “Damn it, Cordy. I don’t know.”

“Then let me ask you this.” She said. “Does he go out and deliberately addict people to what he does? Keep in mind, I agree with you. The guy’s scum. I’m not arguing that. But I wanna know. Does he force his…whatever onto people or do they go looking for it?”

“He plays it pretty close to the vest. I had to seek him out.” Angel admitted.

“But his magic or potions or whatever is dangerous? Over time it can kill you?”

“Pretty safe bet.”

“What about someone that owns a liquor store?” She asked. “They sell booze. It’s a known fact that alcohol causes a host of medical problems. Do you blame the guy at the liquor store when someone dies of cirrhosis of the liver or if someone gets plastered and slams their car into a bus full of school children?” She cocked her head. “He’s pushing poison, just like this Rack guy. But I don’t see you refusing to help a man that runs a liquor store.”

“Liquor is legal.” Angel said, his voice cold.

“That doesn’t matter. As many drunk drivers as there are out there, I don’t think it should be, but that’s a political debate and not the conversation we’re having. The point is this.” She said, moving up to stand in front of him. “Legal or not, people come to Rack to get their fix.  _They_  come to  _him_. It isn’t the other way around. If he walked the streets and just slapped the whammy on people and got them hooked, I’d agree with you, full stop. I’d say leave the guy to the wolves and let it be that. But he isn’t doing that. He’s just making a buck off of the stupid people. If these kids wanna throw their lives away on that crap then that’s on them. I don’t condone it, I don’t even agree with it, but I can understand it. Yes, he could pick a better way to do it, but he’s just making a living.”

Angel stared at her. “When did you become so reasonable?”

“Right about the time a certain vampire was willing to throw away everything he’s stood for for the past hundred years to save me,” Cordy said to him. She stared up into his eyes. “Only people in love do that kind of thing.”

“Cordy, I…” He said, swallowing. “We can’t…”

“I don’t believe that.” She said, simply. “And I don’t care. We’ll find a way. Besides that, I’m betting right about now, the powers that be owe us both one, don’t you?”

“Maybe. But I don’t think they’re gonna be too willing to pay up.” Angel said. Despite his reservations, he wrapped his arms about her.

“Well…” Cordy said, leaning her head against his chest. “That really depends on who we send to collect, now doesn’t it?”

 


	72. Chapter 72

 

Rack leaned back on the sofa, watching as the girl writhed about on the floor in the final throes of a fit of magical ecstasy. He chuckled as she began coming down from the supernatural high. She rolled over and looked at him through glassy eyes. “Please Rack.” She said, getting on her hands and knees. She crawled toward him. He was fairly sure she was trying for seductive. But with stringy, straw-like blonde hair, bags under her pale blue orbs the size of steamer trunks and wearing clothing that he was pretty certain hadn’t seen a washer in weeks, he could easily resist her… _charms_.

But, being the callous bastard he was, he did enjoy watching her beg. “Please…” She said, again. “Just a little more.” She got to him and began running her hands up and down his legs. “I’ll do  _anything_.” Her voice was pleading. She began moving her hands along his thighs.

“Anything, huh?” He returned, spreading his legs a little further. He ran a hand over her cheek, letting his power dance along her skin. “Show me what your idea of  _anything_  is.”

She began slowly unbuckling his pants. She got his belt undone before the door to his inner sanctum blasted open. The girl screamed and threw herself up onto the sofa next to him, covering her head with her arms.

Rack was to his feet with a full array of offensive magicks ready to hurl. Two people stood in his doorway. One of them he recognized. He’d seen the boy before. Warren, his name was. He’d come through looking for a specific item to be created. He looked the same, but there was something different about him. Before he’d just looked like a kid trying to run with the big dogs. Now, however, there was something dangerous about him. He had the kind of confidence that came not with thinking you were a badass, but  _knowing_  it.  _Owning_ it. His black long sleeve shirt, black leather pants, and boots, topped off with a black leather trench coat painted a very vivid picture. Well, two actually. The first was that the kid had seen The Matrix Trilogy one too many times, and second was that he knew what he was capable of and wasn’t afraid to prove it.

Yes, Rack believed it was fair to say that Warren had graduated from the Bush League. And the rather beautiful vampire vixen beside him has simply added brushstrokes to said painting. It was then that he realized what had happened. Warren wasn’t just a punk  _playing_  with the supernatural. He was an actual player. Warren had become a vampire. He was dead…and loving it.

But with that said, Rack was no novice. He’d dealt with nearly every supernatural and paranormal threat out there. What he did made him a lot of friends and even more enemies. And sadly, there wasn’t a day went by that he actually trusted either. That made for a lonely, but pragmatic lifestyle. So he wasn’t necessarily scared or even surprised by this intrusion. But one thing did bother him. “How can you get in here? I thought your kind had to be invited.” He asked.

Warren tilted his head back and gave a hearty villainous laugh. “You need to read up on vampires, there Doctor Mordrid.”

Rack lifted an eyebrow. “Doctor what-now?”

“Doctor Mordrid,” Warren said. “Come on. Doctor Mordrid? Full Moon Entertainment, nineteen ninety-two. Starring Jeffrey Combs?” He shook his head at Rack’s confused look. “Christ, doesn’t anyone watch movies anymore?” He sighed, put his hands behind his back and slowly walked toward the Warlock. “You see, Rack. This little hovel of yours is actually a business. You see clients here. That keeps it from being a residence. Though, I have to hand it to you. It took us quite a while to find you.”

“Kinda the point.” He looked the boy up and down. “Looks like you clawed your way out of the minors, Warren.”

“Oh, now you know how I am?” The boy asked as he started walking around the room, looking at this and that.

Drusilla glided over to the sofa and gripped the frightened girl by the hair, causing her to scream. Warren saw the display and turned to Rack with a sinister grin. Rack knew exactly what the pair was doing. They were daring him to interfere. They were begging him for an excuse. He was of two minds about the whole scenario. He really didn’t care what happened to the girl. She was nothing and no one to him. But she  _was_  a regular. She had gotten quite a few others through his door. If word got out that he was letting his clients get eaten, well, that was bad for business.

With that said, he wasn’t exactly in a position to do much about it. He could probably hold his own long enough to get away from the two…at least he hoped he could, but he wasn’t of sufficient power to play hero. So, unfortunately for the strung-out junkie, his self-preservation won out over his business sense.

Drusilla pulled the girl in, went game face and bit down, causing the girl to scream and fight.

And Rack watched as the terrified girl fell limp in Drusilla’s arms. The look on the brunette vampire’s face was almost that of orgasmic satisfaction. He turned back to Warren to see the boy looking on with sinister glee.

It was the first time in a long time…that Rack remembered himself praying.

 

Faith raced along behind the wheel of the Roadrunner. As soon as Cordelia called her and let her know about the vision she had, she’d met with everyone and hashed out a strategy. She called Giles to let him know and to batten down, not knowing what would happen. She did the same with Xander and Anya.

Willow had immediately gotten on the horn, trying really hard to reach Sam and Riley. She’d broached the idea of handing Rack over to the Initiative after saving his ass. Faith was all for it and gave her girlfriend the go ahead.

She specifically left Buffybot with instructions to tear both Drusilla and Warren apart if they dared to show up at the house.

Two hours later, she and Spike were on their way. Faith just hoped they were in time.

“No offense, but why are we saving this bloke again?” Spike asked, keeping his senses open.

“Trust me, I wish I knew.” Faith said. She was conflicted, it had to be said. Part of her wanted to leave the bastard to his fate. The other part of her knew they had to save him. He wasn’t getting off Scott-free, but they had to at least keep him alive. Beyond that, they owed him nothing. “Honestly, as much as we may not like it, Rack is human. A slimy, piece of shit human, but he is human.”

“Jury’s out on that, love.” Spike piped in.

“Maybe. But until I know for sure, I’m operating under the assumption that he is. And from what Queen C said, Warren and Drusilla aren’t.” She shook her head. “I don’t want another human death on my conscience. I’ve got enough of that.”

“I could care less about the bastard.” Spike offered, his voice stern. “Man’s got a lot to answer for. If you believe in karma, then the way I see it, this is the universe comin’ to collect.”

Faith chuckled. “Yeah, you would say that.” She shook her head. “I can’t be like that. Not anymore. No matter what Warren did, no matter how bad he fucked with us…” She sighed. “I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t have been able to kill him.”

“I know, Faith,” Spike said, softly. “And truthfully, I wouldn’t want you to. You touched that darkness. Let it take you for a time. But you broke through. You broke free. Not a lot of people can say that. You just needed someone to believe in you is all. If nothing else, Angel’s always been good at that.”

“I don’t know where I’d be without him, Spike. That’s a fact. If not for him…” She just shook her head. “Can you feel this asshole’s crib yet?”

“I think it’s just up here.” He said, pointing.

“Wouldn’t he be safe from them in his place?” Faith asked.

“Not entirely,” Spike said. “What he has is…it’s kind of tricky, really. On the one hand, it’s a drug den, basically. A sort of… _flophouse_. It’s public, but only to those who know where to look. Once you’re past the front door, it don’t really matter where you go inside the walls.”

“That’s disturbing.” Faith said. “Down here?” She asked, turning down an alley.

“Yeah.” He said as she drove along. “Stop the car. It’s about twenty feet ahead of us.”

Faith nodded. “I can feel them.” She said, climbing out of the car. Spike fell in step beside her as they ran toward the back of the lane. Seconds later they entered the grungy lobby of Rack’s establishment. Through the doorway to the inner room, Faith could see Warren standing, doing his best to look menacing clad all in black leather. He was staring into Rack’s eyes, trying really hard to be villainous. He was failing, but he  _was_ trying. Credit where credit was due. “Warren is mine.” She said as she ran at him full speed.

“Gotcha. Gotta have a word with my ex.” Spike said.

Warren heard the footsteps and turned just in time to see Faith barreling toward him, her face twisted in a mask of anger and violence. He smiled and lunged to meet her…and quickly learned why it was such a bad idea. He reached for her, but couldn’t hope to match her speed. She ducked lower and caught him in the stomach with her shoulder. She wrapped her arms about his thighs and lifted him from the ground, carrying him across the room and into the wall. Whatever the wall was constructed from managed to hold as they impacted. The room shuddered. Warren collapsed to the ground as Faith stepped back.

He shook his head and looked up at her. “It’s not gonna be that easy, bitch!” He said, going game face. He leapt up, his fists coming at her catching her across the jaw with a quick right-left combo. She staggered back a step, shaking her head.

Rack saw the four of them collide and quickly decided that this was no place for him. He quickly brought a cloaking spell to mind and shrouded himself from sight. He moved toward the door that led to his bedroom and entered, closing it behind him. He’d long since believed that something such as this could happen. And because of that, he was prepared. Faith and Spike simply provided the perfect distraction.

He pulled the old backpack filled with spell components, rare magical artifacts – trade-ins from clients for what he offered – and a goodly amount of cash from his closet. He also hoisted the duffel bag and made his way toward the secret exit that he’d had ready for a very long time. He hated to kiss everything that he’d built goodbye, but he knew that it could all be replaced. He pushed aside the shelf in his room and muscled the hidden door open. He tossed the bags out onto the ground and turned, pulling the shelf back against the wall. He closed the door tightly and turned to grab his bags.

“Going somewhere?” A stern British brogue called from the shadows.

Rack had his bags in his hand as he slowly stood, searching the darkness for the voice. “Decided that Sunnydale just got a little too… _sunny_.” He responded.

A figure, clad in black tactical armor stepped out into the light. He was tall. Taller even than Rack’s own height of six feet. He had broad shoulders and a head of short brown hair. “Perhaps I can help you with that.” He stepped toward the man. “I can help you get away from all of this. Take you somewhere where people understand you.”

Rack had heard of these particular individuals. He’d gone to great lengths to avoid them in his time in the city. “The Initiative? Thanks, but no thanks.”

In a quick strike, the large man’s fist shot out, catching Rack across the temple, knocking him to the dirt. He was out like a light. “No.” The big man said. “Not the Initiative. We’re a bit more… _established_.”

Giles moved up beside the man. “Nice work.” He said nodding his approval. He turned and offered his hand. “Thank you, Philip.”

Philip took it. “My pleasure.” He then looked down at Rack. “Don’t worry about him. Where he’s going, he won’t be troubling you anymore.”

“Much appreciated,” Giles said, smiling. Philip lifted the man onto his shoulder and pulled a small sphere from a pouch on his assault vest. He crushed it into his hand and vanished without a trace.

Giles sighed and moved to leave. He stopped and looked down at the two bags. He knelt and risked it, opening the larger of the two first. He scrunched his nose and tossed it aside. He had little need for the ratty threadbare attire. The backpack, on the other hand, housed some rather interesting finds. As well as a sizable bit of money. He thought a moment then lifted the pack and carried it off. “Not as if he’ll be needing it.” He said simply heading back toward his car.

Warren laughed. “Hah. Didn’t expect that, did you?” He bounced on his feet like a classic boxer.

She looked at him with a smirk. “In the words of Charlie Daniels; ‘Well, you’re pretty good ol’ son. But sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it’s done’.” She laced into him with lightning speed. Her first shot took him across the chin, snapping his head sideways. Her second strike buried her fist in his gut, doubling him over. She dropped her elbow onto this back, hammering him to the floor. Finally, she kicked him in the ribs, sending him on a flight toward the door of the room. He hit the carpet and rolled to a stop. “All the strength and speed in the world don’t matter for shit if you can’t fight, boy.”

Warren rose to his knees, fighting past the pain in his body. He stared at her with rage boiling in his eyes.

Spike entered a step behind Faith and saw the woman that, at one time was the be all and end all of his existence. The woman that had created him, taken him from a pathetic worm of a man and turned him into the monster that he had been. He loved her. Key term?  _Loved_. But for a blonde slayer that had, somehow wormed her way into his heart, he would probably love her still. Now he had another woman to bring life to his otherwise lifeless nights.

And Drusilla had nearly taken that away from him. “‘Ello, love,” Spike said as he walked toward her.

Drusilla tossed the girl aside and glared at him through sickly yellow eyes. “Spike.” She said, her voice filled with whimsy and loathing all at the same time. “How lovely to see you again.”

“Why are you with him, Dru? The fungus demon and the chaos demon I can understand.” He stopped a moment. “Okay, I can’t understand, but…I mean _him_?” Spike said, motioning toward the boy Faith was squaring off with. “He’s…I don’t know what he is, but he’s sure as hell beneath  _you_.”

“Is my blondie-bear jealous?” She asked, smiling as she stalked toward him.

“No. Just disappointed. I mean, at least the other two had powers. They were something. They weren’t a nerd that lived in his parent’s basement watching old Star Trek reruns and wanking to posters of Wonder Woman.”

“He’s shown me things that no one ever has,” Drusilla said.

“What? His Babylon 5 commemorative plate collection?” Spike asked. “His Ninja Turtle bobbleheads?”

Drusilla actually chuckled. “He doesn’t have the bobbleheads. But he has the plates.”

Spike nodded. “Not bad. Those were hard to come by.” He then furrowed his brow. “But that’s reason for you to be with him?” It was the last thing he said before her fist impacted his jaw, staggering him back a step. He responded with a kick to her chest that threw her backward and onto the sofa.

Drusilla landed atop the girl she’d been drinking from. She quickly gripped the girl’s shirt and tossed her limp form at Spike.

He caught her and was startled when he heard the girl let out a soft moan. “Bloody hell.” He said, sadly.

Drusilla took the opportunity and ran for the door. Warren rolled to a stop just as she passed around Spike. “Get up,” Dru said, as he stared at the slayer. The two of them ran out the door.

Faith moved to follow but was stopped short by Spike’s shout. “Faith! We gotta get this girl to a hospital.”

“Dammit!” Faith screamed as Spike came over with the girl in his arms. She looked around and raised an eyebrow. “Where’s Rack?”

“Probably ran off as soon as we were busy.” They left the room and trotted through the lobby. They both got outside to see that Drusilla and Warren were both long gone. “Bloody figures,” Spike said as he got to Faith’s car. He held the girl close to him as the slayer got behind the wheel and raced off toward the hospital.

Once they arrived and got the girl checked in, Faith called the house.

“Hello? Faith?” Willow asked, her voice frantic.

“Yeah, Red. It’s me. We got to Rack’s just in time. Warren and Drusilla got away. We couldn’t chase after ‘em because there was a chick there that Drusilla was snackin’ on. We had to get her to the hospital.”

“You did the right thing, Faith.” Willow offered. “Giles just called. Rack’s been taken care of.”

“What? How?” Faith asked, looking at Spike. He pointed to his ears and nodded.

“Giles called Quentin Travers. They used a teleportation spell to send someone over to take Rack into custody.”

“I thought we were giving him to the Initiative,” Faith said, shaking her head.

“I couldn’t get a hold of Sam or Riley. This was the next best option.” Willow said. “And if you think about it, the Watcher’s Council knows more about it than the Initiative does.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Faith conceded. “We’re gonna hang out for a little bit. Make sure this chick pulls through.”

“Alright.” Willow returned. “I love you. I’ll see you when you get home.”

“Love you, too Red.” Faith said, ending the call. “You get all that?” She asked Spike.

“Yeah.” He said, nodding. He looked around the hospital. “Gettin’ awful tired of being in this place, truth be told.”

Faith chuckled and nodded. She sat back and rested her head on his shoulder. “Don’t feel too bad. I spent over ten months here once.”

“Yeah, but you slept through most of it,” Spike said, patting her leg.

She laughed outright. “True. Gotta admit that was the best sleep I ever got.”

“Kinda sad how it had to go down,” Spike said. He knew he probably shouldn’t bring up old hurts, but he couldn’t stop himself. He wanted to know what Faith felt about all of that now that she’d been able to deal with most of it.

“Only way it could’ve gone down.” Faith said, shrugging. “I was in a bad place. I couldn’t see any way out of it. Should’ve died. Powers that be kept me around.” She gave a snort. “Would have been nice if they’d have clued me on what they had in store for me. Little hint would’ve fuckin’ killed ‘em?”

“Well, you’re here now and doin’ it all the right and proper way.” He said. “Case in point. I saw how bad you wanted to go after Warren and Dru. Soon as I said she needed a hospital, you never thought twice.”

“First time me and B threw down side by side…” She snickered. “Christ, I was so green. I just kept beatin’ the shit out of one vamp. She’s taking on three or four at once.” She sighed. “She’s always been the better slayer.”

Spike was surprised to hear Faith admit that. There was no bitterness or pain in her tone. It was just simple acceptance. “Yeah, but you’re here and she’s not.”

Faith nodded. “Can’t argue with that. But I was tucked away safely in prison and what was she doing? Doing what Buffy the Vampire Slayer did best. Saving the world from certain doom. Stopping the apocalypse.” She wiped a tear from her eyes. “She got to go out the way she deserved to. Destroying a god.” She shook her head. “Hope I’m that lucky. I hope when I die, it’s fighting off something as impressive as that.”

“No,” Spike said, gently taking her chin and turning her face to look at him. “You’re gonna do something even more impressive.” He stared into her eyes. “You’re gonna  _live_. You’re gonna live a long, healthy life with those two Glinda’s of yours and you’re gonna be happy. You’ll go out there and you’ll slay vampires and demons, but you won’t do it alone. I’ll always be with you to help you out. So will everyone else. Buffy started to rewrite the rules…” He grinned at her. “Now it’s your turn to finish what she started.” He leaned forward and pecked her on the forehead.

She gave him a soft smile. “Thanks.” She said, simply.

The Doctor finally came and informed them that the girl lost a lot of blood and would be staying for quite a while. He’d already called her parents and they were on their way. The couple thanked Spike and Faith profusely for helping their daughter and even offered to pay them. The pair declined and left the hospital.

“Never had that happen before.” Faith said as they climbed into the car. “Paying us for bringing someone to the hospital? Jesus. What kind of asshole would accept money for something like that? I can’t honestly think of a time, regardless of how dark a place my mind was in, that I would have felt comfortable doin’  _that_  shit.”

Spike simply shrugged. Given the things he’d done in his earlier years, there wasn’t much he was above doing. Now, he had what might pass for a conscience, but not back there and back then.

It was just after midnight when they finally made it home. Faith pushed the front door open to see Willow sitting on the sofa in Tara’s arms, crying. Buffybot sat on the other side of Willow, caressing the weeping girl’s back, concerned. Daniel sat in the easy chair, not sure what to do. Justine was leaning against the mantle with her arms crossed looking pissed as hell. Dawn mirrored her sentiment as she stood beside her. Kit stood with her arms wrapped about her girlfriend, looking saddened. Andrew and Jonathan were sitting in the dining room in chairs looking completely helpless.

Faith immediately moved over and sat on the coffee table in front of the couch. “What’s wrong, Red?”

The girl continued to cry, unable to speak. Tara looked at Faith with sorrow filled eyes. “Amy’s dad called about twenty minutes ago. Amy left earlier this evening with someone. He described her.” Tara swallowed past a lump in her throat. “Tall, dark hair. Really pretty voice. Very pale.”

Spike narrowed his eyes. “Dru?” He asked, even though he knew the answer.

Faith sighed heavily. “Fuck me.” She turned to Spike. “That’s why they wanted Rack. They were going to take him and feed him to Amy. Get themselves a nice little psycho-fuck family.”

“We’ve gotta kill Amy,” Willow said, sadly. Her voice was cracking so horribly that Faith could barely understand the words.

The slayer said nothing. No one said anything. To speak it would be admitting to the truth. But if they didn’t say it, if they didn’t voice it, they could – if only for one night – believe that it wasn’t true.

 


	73. Chapter 73

 

Faith leaned against the railing with soda in hand watching the crowd below. It was Friday night at The Bronze and the place was packed to the rafters. She could see Tara and Willow dancing along with the forgettable music. Tara moved with a slow deliberate grace – regardless of what was playing – and Willow seemed to just bounce about and whip her hair around, again completely ignoring whatever music was  _actually_  floating through the air.

She moved her eyes a little left and saw Dawn and Kit, both grinding against each other and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. Faith had to snicker at the pair. Their relationship had taken off in the past few weeks. Ever since Dawn’s brush with death, Kit had rarely left her side. The girl split her time between living at home and staying over at the house. Faith didn’t mind the kid. Kit was a great addition to the family. She helped with cleaning and chores when she was around and always had a kind word to say to the rest of the group. And Dawn was completely smitten with her.

Faith moved her eyes over to Xander and Anya. Much like Willow, Anya really couldn’t dance for shit. She just manhandled Xander and bounced around. Given that Xander, at least on the dance floor, had the rhythm of a decapitated chicken, she was fairly certain that he didn’t really give a shit. The kid was a dork and would more than likely be one until the day he died, but that was one of the reasons they loved him.

She knew first hand, however, that the kid  _did_ have rhythm, but he saved it for the one place that it  _really_  mattered. Which explained why he and Anya spent so much time there.

Buffybot and Daniel were both manning the Doublemeat Palace for the closing shift. Tragically, Manny the Manager went home from his shift two weeks ago and never made it back. Faith knew why. Mainly because she ended up staking him the next night as he jumped her from the bushes. Poor bastard was still wearing his Doublemeat Palace uniform. She let Buffybot know when she got back from patrol. The android was genuinely saddened. She actually liked Manny. As the assistant manager, she took over until someone from corporate could be sent. The district manager showed up three days later, looked around, promoted Buffybot to Manny’s position, kicked Daniel up to assistant manager, and left. She was there long enough to have the pair sign the paperwork and split. Buffy only made one request and that was to be paid hourly, instead of making a salary. The woman reluctantly agreed. Since then, the robot had been putting in incredible hours, covering for employees when no one else was available. She didn’t mind and, truthfully, neither did Daniel.

It had been over a month since they’d ridden to Rack’s rescue. Warren, Drusilla, and Amy were nowhere to be found. Everyone had exhausted every avenue to find them. They’d tried location spells, contacting other planes, Angel even broke into Wolfram and Hart and threatened to rip Lilah Morgan apart if she didn’t make every effort to find them. Even a multi-dimensional law firm couldn’t track them down.

It seemed as though they’d just up and vanished off the face of the Earth. After everyone had reported back that they had nothing, Willow tried to see the good. “Maybe they got dusted. Maybe Warren ticked off the wrong monster and got killed.”

Faith thought it was highly unlikely, but couldn’t fault the possibility. The group had relaxed their guard somewhat in light of the boy’s disappearance. Giles and Olivia decided to put the Magic Box in Willow and Tara’s capable hands and took a small vacation to England to see some old colleagues for a week or so. Everyone was taking it easy and trying not to think about tomorrow. Faith, however, was fairly certain that Warren would be showing up soon with a whole new cadre of tricks up his sleeve. She just hoped that it came down to her and him, leaving everyone else out of the crossfire.

She let her senses stretch out and wash over the room. She sighed when she felt the telltale sensation of the undead. Like an annoying itch in the back of her neck. Given that Spike and Justine were both in Los Angeles visiting Angel and company, she knew it wasn’t friendly. She finished her soda and set the glass on a table as she walked past. She descended the stairs and made it to the dance floor. She kept her concentration and slid through the crowd toward the supernatural blip on her paranormal radar.

She found the vampire, a rather dapper looking young man with short close-cropped dark hair, a pale blue button-down shirt – complete with the seventies hamburger meat hanging out – a pair of tight jeans and respectable boots. He was dancing with a girl that couldn’t look more valley is she tried. Her hair was bleach blonde, almost white, she had a tan that was faker than a photo of Bigfoot surfing on a flying saucer and a red dress that looked more like body paint than actual clothing. Faith couldn’t deny the girl was cute and even her big artificial boobs really didn’t look all that artificial. The only reason Faith knew they were is because as the woman bounced about, her breasts stayed perfectly rigid. Real tits didn’t do that. At least not cannons that size.

Faith thought about her approach and decided that she was in the mood for a good fight. She stepped up behind the blonde and leaned in to whisper in her ear. “There’s a hole in the back of your dress. I can see your ass.”

The girl immediately looked at her. “Where?” She asked, trying to see her butt.

“Right there.” Faith said, poking her in the ass. “Might wanna go check it out before people notice.”

“Thanks.” The girl said, running to the bathroom.

Faith took her place and began smoothing up on the guy. “Now that plastic surgery girl Barbie is out of the way…” She said, turning to grind against him.

“What’s your name, baby?” He asked her.

“Names aren’t really important, are they?” She asked, draping her arms over his shoulders.

“Oh, you’re one of  _those_  girls.” He said, happily. “I like those girls.” He rested his hands on her hips.

“Yeah, I’ll just bet you do.” She reached down and took his hands, pulling him from the dance floor. “Let’s go find someplace dark and quiet. I don’t want anyone to hear you scream.”

He gave her a wide smile. “I like where this is headed.”

“Me too.” She said, heading out of the Bronze. As she passed Tara and Willow she mouthed “Vampire.”

They both nodded and gave her some distance. They’d head out a few seconds later, just to make sure she didn’t need help. Faith was quite capable when it came to the slaying. She still worked with Dawn every night after the girl got home from work.

The tall brunette teen was chiseled in stone now. She was lean, but she was rock hard and attracted all kinds of attention from the boys at school. There was a host of broken hearts due to the fact that she and Kit were exclusive. Dawn wasn’t interested in boys any longer. As was evidenced by the stream of boys that were sent away dismayed when she shot them down on the dance floor.

Faith led the undead prowler through the storage room and into the alley. Willow and Tara both turned and began heading out. A hand on both of their shoulders stopped them. They turned in unison to see Dawn standing behind them. “I got this.” She said, before moving between them to follow the brunette slayer.

“Apparently Dawn’s got this,” Tara said, returning her attention back to Willow.

“Maybe this will help Faith get out of the dumps.” Willow offered. “She’s been kinda,”

“Bitchy?” Tara asked, smiling.

“I was gonna say moody, but with Faith, bitchy is the more appropriate adjective,” Willow said, moving closer.

Faith exited the club and turned, grabbing him and pushing him up against the wall of the building. She moved in closer and grinned at him. “You like it rough?” She asked him.

“I like it all ways.” He said, reaching around and grabbing her butt.

She nodded. “Good.” She then turned and hurled him with all her might across the alleyway. He collided back first with the opposing wall and crashed to the ground, dazed. Faith stalked into to him, rolling her head about her shoulders. She stopped a few paces away and looked around the alley. “You know, this is really where it all started for me. Right here is where I fought my first vampire in Sunnydale. He was pussy too.” She looked down at him. “Just like you. I seriously kicked his ass.” She reached down and lifted him from the ground. “Here. I’ll show you exactly what I did to him.”

She dropped him and pushed him away, driving an elbow into his face. He staggered back against the wall. She took a step and jumped onto a crate. She then jumped off, into a spinning corkscrew kick. Her booted foot cracked into the side of his dome, throwing him to the pavement. “Okay, that was new. I didn’t really know how to do that back then.” She said, grinning. “Right about now is when Buffy…she was the slayer that was here three and a half years ago when I showed up the first time, anyway she and her friends came out of the club to see if I was okay.” Faith lifted him from the ground. “I told her who I was and that I had it.” She drove her face into his. She turned and chucked him into the wall. “There used to be a chain link fence leaning up against that wall.” She looked around a second. “Or was it that one?” She shrugged. “Well, whatever.” She again took hold of him, driving her knee into his stomach. He growled and tried to backhand her. She ducked below, slamming a hard body blow into his gut, doubling him over. She then hammered the side of his face with a right cross. He staggered to the side. She executed a textbook high side kick, spinning him to the ground. “This is the part where I took the stake…” She felt wood get pushed into her hands. She thought little of it before spinning it about. She reached down and gripped his neck, hauling him to his feet. “I snagged it from Buffy,” She threw him back against the wall. He was dazed and unable to defend himself. “And I just struck home. He was pretty much dust a heartbeat later.” She stabbed him and pulled the stake free. He crumbled to dust.

“Yep. Just like that.” Faith said, turning to see where the stake had come from. She saw Dawn, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, staring at her with a smile. In the light of the dim alley, Faith suddenly saw a lot of Buffy in the younger Summers girl. Dawn had the same intense, yet jovial eyes. She had that same little smirk that Buffy had. It was explained to Faith that Dawn was created using part of Buffy. Part of her mind, her being, and even her soul. And right now, Faith could see it. Dawn was her own girl, that couldn’t be argued. But it didn’t take a genius to see that the girl was  _all_  Summers. “Thanks, D.” Faith said, tossing her the stake. “Couldn’t have done it without ya.” She patted the girl on the shoulder as she made her way past.

Dawn tucked the stake back into her pocket and followed the slayer inside. “No problem.”

 

Faith pulled up to the construction site Monday morning fresh-faced and ready to work. From what Tony had told her, this was going to be new, higher-end condominiums. It was actually kind of nice to see. Over the past few months, Sunnydale had been experiencing a bit of a real estate boom. Houses were being bought up left and right and the prices of homes were on the rise.

She slapped her hard hat on and headed for Tony. She could see him standing side by side with a man in a nice suit with wire-rim glasses on. She couldn’t help but be reminded of Wesley Wyndham Price back when he was a Watcher before he just started going by ‘Wes’.” He was skinny, not at all the type of guy that belonged on a construction site. Which told her exactly who she was. He had ‘Corporate’ written all over him.

Suddenly, butterflies filled her stomach. Her first instinct was that he was here because of her. Her past more than likely catching up with her. She approached slowly. “Hey, Tony.” She said, trying to sound nonchalant. “Where you want me today, big guy?”

“Oh, hey Faith.” He said. “This is Gordon Wright. He’s the project manager with the home office in L.A. This is the girl I was tellin’ you about.”

Gordon gave her a warm smile. “Faith, it’s nice to… _oof_!” He got out before she shoved him and Tony to the side. They both hit the ground hard as Faith dove headlong into a shoulder roll. The huge metal girders rained down on the spot they were all standing.

“Sorry, Tony.” The crane driver said, sheepish. “The cable broke.”

Faith got up and dusted herself off. She then helped Gordon to his feet. “You alright?” She asked him.

“I’m fine. Thanks to you.” He said. “How did you even know that was happening?”

“Heard the cable snap.” Faith said. “I’ll go ahead and get these cleaned up.”

“We’ll have to get the crane cable fixed first,” Gordon said. Faith began stacking the girders on a new pallet. “Or not.” He added shocked beyond measure.

Tony stepped up beside the man, watching as the slayer went to work. “She’s a godsend, man. She put us over a month ahead of schedule.”

“How…how is she doing that?” Gordon said. “I mean, those girders weigh three hundred pounds apiece. And she’s moving them like they weigh nothing.”

Tony just shrugged. “Couldn’t tell you.” He said, moving back to the folding table he had set up.

Gordon couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. The girl worked like a machine. When he’d read Tony’s reports of personnel and progress, he didn’t really pay much attention. He’d noticed that the girl named Faith was making great money without much experience and had planned on making this trip to observe her first hand. After what he was watching, he was fairly certain that the girl was drastically underpaid.

Faith sat beside Xander as they ate lunch. Faith was overjoyed when she munched on the cold pizza left over from the night before. Xander happily devoured his pastrami and sourdough while snacking on his sour cream and onion potato chips. “I never really thought I’d enjoy construction so much.” Faith offered as they ate.

“I knew you’d be good at it, but I didn’t figure you’d  _enjoy_  it. You’ve really impressed Tony. And did you see the look on Gordon’s face?”

“No. Too busy stacking girders.” Faith returned. “I scare him?”

“No, I think the raining I-beams were doing a fine job of that,” Xander said with a snicker.

“Any idea what happened?” Faith asked.

“Just a cable snap. It’s rare, but it happens. It was just old. I’ve seen it happen once or twice. You know it all comes down to the almighty dollar. Anything to save a buck.” Xander said. “The cable passed inspection. It was an accident. The boys spent the morning threading all the cranes with new cable just to be on the safe side.”

“Should I be worried?” Faith asked him. She was tough and able to live through a lot, but a falling I-beam would still kill her just like it would anyone else.

“Well, yeah you should be worried. The whole point of work gloves, a hard hat, and steel toe boots. You minimize the risk, but you can’t always avoid it.” Xander said. “This  _is_  a construction site.”

“No sabotage?” Faith asked. “Ooh, better yet, corporate espionage? I could get behind some construction site intrigue.”

“Afraid not. The only intrigue around here is guessing the name of the girl Marco’s gonna end up with this week.” Xander said.

“I put in for Vanessa.” Faith said. “I know there are a couple around town and they both seem his type.”

“Oh, I said Teresa,” Xander said. “I don’t think he’s had a Teresa yet.”

“Pot’s up to sixty bucks.” Faith said, shrugging. “Christ, we’re bad.”

“We’re construction workers. Par for the course, isn’t it?” He asked.

“Good point.” Faith said, leaning over and bumping his shoulder with her own. She was happy. She had a good job, people, that loved her and a life that she really never thought she’d have. She wished Diana were around to see her now. Her old Watcher would be proud of her and what she’d become.

 

She stood in the shadows watching as the father, mother and young girl trotted across the empty Manhattan street. She chuckled and stepped away from the wall, quickly following after them. She pulled her trench coat up around her and increased her pace to move up just behind the trio. “Excuse me.” She said, softly.

The man turned around to regard her. He was average height with average hair and average eyes. He wore a business suit with a red tie. His daughter was an adorable little redhead with freckles and wide blue eyes. His wife was a blonde woman with short close-cropped hair and thin blue-green eyes. She could immediately tell that the child was most definitely not his. “Is there something we can do for you?” He asked, sharply. “We’re running a little late.”

She quickly turned game face and snatched the girl by the throat, spinning her and pulling her in against her chest. She pair screamed in panic. The vampire chuckled. “I strongly suggest you come with me if you want her back in one piece.” She turned and trotted into the alley.

“We should call the police.” The mother said, terror in her voice.

“If we do, she’s as good as dead.” The man said, taking off after his daughter. The woman followed behind, fear making her legs heavy.

The couple could hear their daughter scream as they ran down the alley. The rounded the corner to see the vampire, her mouth, and chest awash with crimson, toss the limp form of the little girl to the pavement. It was obvious that the child was dead. “Mary!” The man shouted, rushing toward the older girl. “I’ll kill you, you bitch.”

The vampire laughed and stepped forward, taking hold of his neck and lifting him into the air without effort. “I think you have that the other way around.” She said, smiling. She squeezed, knocking him out before tossing him aside. The woman was standing, vapor locked. She couldn’t move past the abject horror. “If you wanna scream…that’d be okay.” The vampire said as she stalked into the woman. Her face was split in a mask of sinister glee.

Warren sat behind the bank of computers, watching the footage of Faith he’d gathered thus far. He kept replaying her fights. Over and over and over again. He was looking for some pattern some… _indicator_  that would lead to her defeat. But for all of his research, all of his observation, he had nothing. She was a superb hand to hand fighter, she was an expert marksman and could use blades better than anyone he’d ever seen. Drizzt Do’Urden had nothing on this girl. “There’s gotta be  _something_ …” He said, rewinding the footage.

“Food’s here,” Amy said as she walked into the room carrying two unconscious bodies on her shoulders. She dumped the pair onto the floor. “Eat up. I’ve already had dinner.”

Drusilla rose from the bed and moved over, pulling Amy in, plundering the witch’s mouth with her tongue. “The children cry because you took their playmate away,” Drusilla said, lightly. “Was she tasty?”

“Aren’t the young ones always?” Amy said. “If you hunted more, you’d get the choice meat.”

“I like it when you eat the fresh. Makes you all warm and tingly.” Dru said before turning from her and lifting the woman from the floor. She awoke just as the dark-haired vampire bit down and began draining her dry.

Amy moved over to Warren and leaned on the back of his chair. “I should kill you.” She said, casually.

“Said that last night.” Warren offered not looking at her. “And the night before. Gets old after a while.”

“You sayin’ I shouldn’t?” Amy asked him.

“Didn’t say that. You probably should. Personally, I’m surprised that after you woke up and fed, you didn’t try.” Warren looked up at her. “As badly as I fucked you over, I probably do deserve it.”

“Yeah, you do,” Amy said. She moved around and sat on his lap. “You know the reason I don’t?”

“Not really,” Warren said.

“Because you turned me. At first, I was a little pissed off, but then…” She began grinding her crotch on his lap. “I’ve just felt so… _liberated_.”

“Being turned made you a slut?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You saying you don’t like the new me?” Amy asked. “I love this feeling. The feeling that the rules don’t apply to you anymore.” She chuckled. “Work it harder, make it better, do it faster, makes us stronger.” She said flipping backward off his lap and began dancing around the room.

Warren rose to his feet and moved over, reaching down and gripping the man’s throat. “Wake up.” He said, slapping the man’s face.

“What? Where am I?” He asked, panicking. “Where’s my wife and daughter?”

“They’re dead,” Warren said. “My girlfriends ate them. You see, they’re vampires.” He went game face. “So am I.”

“Oh, god.” The man said, struggling to get free. “Please don’t kill me.”

“Do you actually think that’s gonna work?” Warren asked. Staring at his terrified face, he suddenly realized what he’d been missing. He grinned and pulled the man in, draining him dry. After several minutes, he tossed the body aside and went back to the screens, staring at Faith. “Harder, better, faster…stronger.” He said, laughing. “Harder, better, faster, stronger.” He tilted his head back and laughed maniacally.

“Daddy seems happy,” Drusilla said, pulling Amy in to rest her chin on the witch’s shoulder.

“Daddy is very, very happy.” He said. He looked at both girls. “I know how we beat the slayer.”

“Do tell,” Amy said.

“You, her, and him.” He said, pointing to the body. “You all put the pieces together.” He turned back to the screen. “It’s all about power. It’s about strength, speed. She’s the slayer. She was created to destroy us.” He again grinned. “So we take that away from her.”

“What are you talking about?” Amy asked, walking over to stand beside him. “Take what away from her?”

“Being a slayer,” Warren said. “About three years ago, something like that happened to Buffy. She temporarily lost her powers. She freaked out. And I’ll bet you money her Watcher, Giles knew what happened to her.”

“You’re saying we should kidnap Giles?” Amy asked. She laughed and shook her head. “I’m not even trying that shit. Human or not, he’s way too good at killing vampires for that.” She pointed to Drusilla. “She’s been in his head once. I guarantee you he’s taken precautions since then.”

“Oh no,” Warren said. “We’re not going after Giles. We just need a Watcher.” He tapped in a few keys and brought up a picture of the Hyperion Hotel in Los Angeles. “And the way I figure it, an ex-Watcher would work just as well.”

Drusilla took per place on the opposing side of him. “We’re going to see Angel.”

“We are not, repeat  _not_  there to take on Angel and his crew. We’ve got one priority. Once we deal with the slayer, we can deal with him.”

Amy chuckled. “You’re entirely too smart for your own good.” She turned and moved up close to him. “I like it when you’re smart.”

Drusilla smoothed up on his other side. “Sexy brains.”

“It’s good to be the boss.” He said, kissing both girls.

 


	74. Chapter 74

 

Cordelia lifted the file folder from the desk and turned to drop it into the filing cabinet. “Another satisfied customer.” She said, happily. She was in great spirits as Angel Investigations was doing rather well. She heard baby Connor begin fussing in his bassinet. She moved over and lifted him and could immediately tell what he needed. “Somebody’s a smelly guy.” She said, smiling at him. She immediately went about cleaning and changing him.

She’d just finished when she heard the bell over the door jingle. She set Connor down and gave his chin a little tickle. “Auntie Cordy has to take care of some business, sweetie. I’ll be right back.” She said, before heading out into the lobby. “Welcome to Angel Investigations, we help the helpless…” She stopped as she stared at the trio.

Warren smiled at her and pulled his sunglasses off. Drusilla and Amy flanked him, likewise giving the ex-cheerleader a sinister grin. “You do, huh?” He asked. He let out a soft chuckle. “I’d say you fit into that category right now.”

She swallowed back her fear and moved around the counter. “What are you doing here, Warren?” She asked.

“Don’t worry, Cordelia.” He said, folding his shades up. “We’re not here for you.” He slid them into the pocket in front of his jacket. “Where’s Wesley?”

Cordy was rather confused. “Why do you want Wesley?”

Amy and Drusilla slowly began walking toward her. “We need the little Watcher-man,” Drusilla said. “He’s got secrets.”

“Trust me, I know. I work with him.” The girl said, backing away from them. “But he isn’t a Watcher anymore.”

“That really don’t matter,” Amy said, running her fingers along the counter. “Oh, nice protection spell, by the way. It was a bitch to bring down.”

Cordy’s stomach suddenly filled with lead. “How did you manage that?”

“I’m a witch, remember?” Amy said, smiling. “You really didn’t pay attention to anyone but yourself in high school, did you?”

“I remember what your mother did to me.” Cordy snapped. “But she was a strong witch. From what I remember of you, you were lame.” She began inching toward the weapon cabinet.

“I was stronger than you could imagine.” She chuckled. “But then you never really did have much of an imagination.”

“What did you need Wesley for? He’s a nobody.” Cordy asked, moving little by little.

“He still knows what we need to know. Where is he?” Warren asked.

“He’s not here,” Cordy said, eyeing them. She quickly spun, pulled the cabinet open and snatched a sword from within and turned back around. “But I’ll be more than happy to take a message and let him know you called.”

All three vampires laughed at her. “Please Cordy. Don’t embarrass yourself by thinking you actually know how to use that.” Warren said.

“Why don’t you come over here and let me show what I know,” Cordy said, holding the sword.

He let out a laugh. “Funny, Cordy.” He looked to the girls. “Kill her.”

Amy rushed at her, looking to take her down quickly. “You’ll make a pretty vampire.”

Cordy stepped forward and ducked below her strike and dragged the sword across her abdomen, opening a deep channel along her flesh. She then spun and dropped to a crouch, ramming the blade back, impaling Drusilla.

Both vampires staggered past her as she rose back to her feet and ran, jumping up onto the roundabout sofa cushion, bouncing to the top and leaping into a twisting flip over Warren. She landed behind him and rested the sword against the side of his neck. “You’re forgetting something, Mr. Ralph Lauren wannabe. I lived in Sunnydale and fought vampires older and stronger than you. And since working here, I’ve faced a lot worse besides.”

Warren, for his part, was stunned. “Seems you’ve learned your lessons well.” He spun, pushing the sword aside and gripped her throat, lifting her from the floor. “But you’re still human, bitch.”

“No,” Cordy said, angrily. She quickly jammed her thumb into his eye. “I’m not.”

He screamed and dropped her, grabbing his eye. “You fucking bitch!”

Cordy hit the floor and swung, looking to take his head. He fell backward to avoid the strike. The blade of the sword narrowly missed his throat. Cordy backpedaled and tripped on the stairs, falling to her butt. Amy and Drusilla were both on her in an instant. The chestnut-haired vampire landed hard on her, gripping her sword arm about the wrist, holding it fast.

Drusilla dropped onto Cordy’s lap and gripped the girl’s cheeks, looking deeply into her eyes. “Look at me, pretty girl. Let me have you.”

Cordy stared into her eyes and slowly grinned. “Sorry. I don’t do girls.” She shot her head forward, slamming it into Drusilla’s face, bloodying her nose. The elder vampire fell backward to the floor. Cordy clenched her fist and drilled Amy across the face, causing her to release the girl’s wrist. Once, freed, she scrambled backward up the stairs.

Then at the most inopportune time, Connor cried out from the office behind the desk. Everyone in the room froze. Suddenly, Warren grinned. The room then erupted into motion. The boy ran for the counter. Drusilla and Amy both moved to intercept Cordelia as she ran, jumping from the stairs to the floor.

Warren hopped the counter, Cordelia hit the floor and was immediately tackled to the ground by both female vampires. Her sword went flying from her hand. “Connor!” She screamed. She fought like hell to get free, but couldn’t match the strength of the vampires that had descended upon her.

The pair rolled her onto her stomach and pulled her arms behind her back, restraining her. Amy grabbed a handful of her hair and wrenched her head backward. “Nice try, bitch.”

Warren stepped out of the office, holding the baby in his arms. “He’s cute.”

“I swear to god, Warren. You do not wanna hurt that child. He’s Angel’s. You remember Angel? He’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth if you so much as harm a hair on that boy’s head.”

The vampire moved over and knelt in front of her. “I’m counting on it. I want you to tell him that I’ve got his kid. And if he wants the brat back, I get Wesley. At the Venice Fishing Pier midnight tomorrow, he and Wesley come alone. We make the trade then and there. He has one chance. Otherwise, we disappear and he never gets him back.” He then rose and moved to the door. “Bleed her, but leave her alive to tell Angel.”

Amy grinned and looked at Drusilla. “Mind if I take this one?”

Drusilla caressed Amy’s cheek softly. “Drink, baby girl.”

Amy went game face and leaned down, sinking her teeth into Cordelia’s neck. Cordy knew better than to struggle. If she did, it would just make it hurt worse and end up tearing her neck apart. Slowly her vision faded. Tears flowed down her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Angel.” She said as she lost consciousness.

 

“Man, that thing sucked,” Gunn said as he led the way into the lobby of the hotel. “How many damn tentacles did that thing need?”

“Not that many,” Angel said, shaking his head. “I’m never gonna get this smell out of my coat.” They pushed the doors open. “Cordy, you were spot on with the vision.” They all came to a stop when they saw the girl lying face down on the floor. “Cordy!” He ran to her side. He lifted her from the floor and carried her to the sofa. “Fred! First aid kit!”

Wesley and Gunn were both beside him in an instant. “She was bitten,” Wesley said, indicating the wound on her neck.

Fred ran from the office with the first aid kit. “Connor’s gone.” She said, frantically.

“What?” Angel said, angrily. “Are you sure? Maybe she took him upstairs to put him to bed.”

“We got her, man. Go look for your kid.” Gunn said.

Angel nodded and ran from the lobby, taking the stairs at a dead sprint. He threw the door open to the room he and Connor shared. He ran to the boy’s crib to find it empty. It had been freshly made with the child’s toys set up neatly along the rim. “Dammit!” He shouted, overturning the chair he sat in. “I’m gonna kill ‘em all.” He said, turning from the crib. He ran down the stairs. “Make sure she’s okay. I’ll be back.”

“Where are you going?” Wesley asked.

Angel stopped and looked at him. “I’m going to see my lawyer.” He slammed the door behind him.

Wesley, Gunn, and Fred all stared at each other. “This isn’t going to be pretty,” Wesley said as he cleaned the wound on Cordy’s neck.

“Probably not,” Gunn said, pacing the room. “But maybe Angel deserves to show ‘em a little bit of ugly right now.”

Lilah Morgan sat behind her desk, finishing up the last of her paperwork. It had been a long day and she was looking forward to a stiff drink and some relaxation. Her plans, however, went out the window, when her office door burst open. An armed security guard flew in through the doorway to land on the floor, unconscious.

Angel stormed into the room, dragging another guard by the throat. He tossed the man aside without effort, slamming him into the bookshelf against the wall, causing books to rain down upon the man as he slumped to the floor. “Sorry. I don’t have an appointment.” He said, throwing the door closed.

She leaned back in her chair, interlacing her fingers as she regarded him. “It still amazes me that you can just waltz in here…”

“I didn’t waltz. I walked. Cost you a hell of a lot of staff. But hey, you can afford it, right?” He moved over to her desk and leaned down, resting his hands on the top. “I’m gonna ask you once. You don’t wanna know what happens after that. Where is he?”

Lilah raised an eyebrow and shook her head. “Where’s who?” He gripped the edge of the desk and hurled it against the wall, smashing it to bits. “That was an antique cherry wood desk.”

“Bill me.” He said, stepping closer to her.

“On a Private Investigator’s salary? Right.” She said. She was shocked when he lifted her from her chair by the front of her blouse. “Okay, I can see you’re upset.”

“Oh no, Lilah. Upset is for someone who misplaced their car keys.” He went game face. “I’m pissed off.”

She swallowed hard. “I, I’m not denying that. But would you at least tell me what we did to piss you off, this time?”

He slammed her back against the wall. She nearly blacked out. “You stole my son, Lilah!”

“What?” She asked.

He stared at her. She was scared, which was understandable. But she was also completely flabbergasted at the mention of Connor’s abduction. He dropped her to the floor. “It wasn’t you.”

“No, Angel. It wasn’t us.” She rose to her feet. Suddenly another group of guards burst into the room with guns drawn. “No.” She said, waving them away. “It’s alright. Just a misunderstanding.”

“Better listen to her boys,” Angel said. “This is a private meeting.”

“Go on, get out of here.” She snapped. The guards stared a moment then left, closing the door behind them. She moved over and sat down. “So tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

“We have no real reason to take the boy from you, Angel. Before we had an agenda, but it’s been tabled. The senior partners handed it down. You’re hands off until they say otherwise. Besides that, the more you concentrate on your son, the less of a pain in our ass you are.”

Angel crossed his arms. “Someone came to the hotel tonight. A vampire. They damn near drained Cordelia dry and took off with Connor.”

“Sounds like you need to step up your security,” Lilah said.

“That’s just it. We had the furies put a spell on the hotel that wouldn’t allow any demon violence. I’m not sure how they managed to bypass it.”

“It would take a rather potent magic user to get past it. We know, we’ve looked into it.” Lilah said. He glared at her. “We just like to cover our bases.”

“I want him back,” Angel said. “I don’t care who I have to go through to get him.”

“We didn’t have anything to do with it,” Lilah said. “But it sounds personal. Whoever took off with him wanted to hurt you. Do you think Holtz might have survived what Faith did to him?”

Angel shook his head. “No. If Faith says she took care of him, it’s gospel.”

“It’s not like you have a shortage of enemies,” Lilah said, shrugging. “Maybe someone from your past.”

Angel suddenly paled. “Son of a bitch.” He turned and raced from her office.

Lilah sat there and looked at the mess he’d made. “Better get maintenance up here.” She said, moving over to her phone.

 

Warren leaned back in his chair, staring at the sleeping child. “He’s gonna play right into our hands.”

Amy leaned over the child. “He really is cute.”

Drusilla was beside her and nodded. “He’s got his daddy’s cheeks.”

“I just don’t get how Angel managed to have a kid,” Warren said. “I didn’t know vampires could do that.”

“Baby is all magical,” Drusilla said. “His magic calls to me.” She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms about herself. “It’s all warm and tingly.”

“Yeah. Okay.” Warren said, shaking his head. “As soon as we get Wesley, we’re giving him back, so don’t get attached.”

“Never snacked on a vampires’ kid before,” Amy whispered to Drusilla. “Gonna be good, I’m betting.”

“Can’t eat baby,” Drusilla said, frowning. “He’s family.”

“So?” Amy said. “He’s food as far as I’m concerned.”

“No,” Drusilla said, her voice hard. “We keep him, we make him big and strong…then we make him part of us.” She moved forward, pulling Amy in. “We make him part of the family forever.”

Amy thought a moment and chuckled. “You got a point. Who knows what he’s gonna be like when he’s older?”

Warren wasn’t paying attention to the pair of them. “Just remember the plan.” He said, staring at his consoles. He ignored the sounds of the pair making out behind him. It had become old hat by now.

 

The sun reached out and touched her face. She blinked her eyes and felt a throbbing in her head. Cordelia tried sitting up but felt weak as a newborn kitten. She felt strong arms wrap about her and help her up. She turned to see Angel sitting beside her on the bed. She smiled at him and leaned against him. “I’m so sorry.” She said, her voice hitching. “I couldn’t stop them.”

“You did everything you could.” He said, softly. He was angered beyond reason that his son was gone, but he was not, for a second going to believe that Cordelia didn’t do everything in her power to stop it. “I know you fought like hell to keep him from getting taken.”

“It was Warren.” She said. “Warren, Drusilla, and Amy.” She began crying. “I tried Angel. God, help me I tried.”

“I know, Cordy. I know.” He caressed her head as she wept. “We’ll find him.”

“He wants Wesley,” Cordy said. “He’s willing to trade Wesley for Connor. Tonight at Midnight at the Venice Fishing Pier. You and Wesley have to come alone. If you don’t he’ll take Connor and disappear.”

Angel sighed and lowered his head. At this moment, he felt truly, truly ashamed of himself. Because he knew, deep down, he would gladly trade Wesley’s life for Connor’s.

Cordy reached out and took his hand. “He’s your son, Angel. Wesley would understand.”

“Get some rest. I might need you tonight.” He said, pulling her in and kissing her. He then rose from her bed and left the room.

She watched him go and couldn’t help but feel for him. She loved him and hated seeing him in this kind of pain. She tucked her knees up under her chin, wrapped her arms about her legs…and wept.

Angel made his way down the stairs. Fred, Gunn, and Wesley looked at him. “How is she?” Wesley asked.

“She’s fine. She confirmed it. Warren, Drusilla, and Amy.” Angel said, moving to the office. “But he’s not who they were after.” He looked at Wesley. “They wanted you.”

The ex-watcher raised an eyebrow. “Me?”

“Why would they want Wes? It’s not like he’s important.” Gunn said. He then swung around to Wesley to see the man staring at him. “Man, I’m sorry. That didn’t come out right.”

“I would hope not.” He turned back to Angel. “But Charles does raise a valid point. What in the blazes would they want with me?”

“I don’t know,” Angel said. “But they’re willing to make a trade tonight at midnight. Venice Fishing Pier. You for Connor.”

The men shared an intense stare. Wesley nodded. “If there’s even a chance that they’ll give him back to you, then I’m willing to endure anything they can dish out.”

“Um…not to play Devil’s advocate or anything, but…what if they turn you?” Fred asked.

“Then Angel and Gunn do what they do best,” Wesley said, simply. “To get Connor back, I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

Angel nodded. “We’re not going to leave you in the lurch, Wes. We’re gonna get Connor back and we’re all coming home.”

Wesley smiled and nodded. “Then we’ve best get to planning.”

Gunn sat in the driver’s seat of his pickup, watching the pier through a pair of binoculars. Fred sat beside him, nervously fidgeting. “I hope this is the right thing to do.” It had become something of a mantra for her over the past hour. “Do you think Wolfram and Hart will hold up their end?”

“Don’t know,” Charles said. He couldn’t see anything out on the dock. “I hope so.”

Fred turned and watched the waterfront. “I hope so, too.”

Angel sat behind the wheel of this Plymouth and looked at his watch. It was ten minutes to midnight. “I’ll never be able to tell you how much I appreciate what you’re doing, Wesley.”

The ex-Watcher nodded. “I know what Connor means to you, Angel. In the long run, he’s more important to you than I am.”

“That isn’t true, Wesley,” Angel said, looking at the man. “You’ve been a hell of a friend over the past two and a half years.”

“He’s your son, Angel,” Wesley said. “I’m not sore. I understand you respect me and care for me. You gave me purpose again when I wasn’t sure I would ever have one. That’s not easily forgotten. But Connor is your child. If I were in your position, I would give up anything to keep him safe. Even if it meant sacrificing friends.” He smiled and shook his head. “It’s what we do.”

Angel felt terrible for what he was asking the man to do. Yes, there was a chance that it would save the life of his child, but it might very well cost the life of his friend. It was crappy situation all the way around.

“Time to do this,” Wesley said, stepping out of the car. “Let us just hope our friends come through.”

Angel nodded as he followed behind. They walked out onto the pier side by side. They heard the sound of a motorboat approaching the dock. A moment later, Warren, Drusilla, and Amy jumped up onto the wharf. In Drusilla’s arms was a blanket wrapped bundle.

Angel gripped Wesley’s arm. “Let’s dispense with the small talk. Show me Connor.”

Warren raised an eyebrow. “I’m holding all the cards, there big guy. We do this my way.”

“No, Warren. We don’t. You show me you have Connor or I tear you three apart.” Angel said. “There’s no middle ground here.”

The boy sighed. “Fine.” He turned to Drusilla. “Show him.”

She pulled back the blanket and revealed the tiny baby boy in her arms. “He looks like you,” Drusilla said, whimsically. “Such pretty eyes.”

“I send over Drusilla and the kid, Wesley gets into the boat with Amy,” Warren said. “That’s how it works. Otherwise, I toss the brat into the water and we see if he floats.”

Angel clenched his jaw. “Done.” He said, releasing Wesley’s arm. “Drusilla. Give me Connor.”

The raven-haired vampire began walking slowly toward him as Wesley began moving to the boat.

Angel watched as Wesley moved past Drusilla and stepped to the edge of the dock, near the boat. “Now!” He shouted.

Wesley turned and dove off the edge of the pier, toward the water. Two divers, courtesy of Wolfram and Hart waited for him below the surface with breathing gear. Three shots rang out in the night. Snipers, also courtesy of Wolfram and Hart, took their shots at the three vampire’s heads. The bullets were specially crafted to be deadly to the undead set.

But even the best-laid plans could go to pot in an instant. Wesley never made it to the water. He stopped in midair and flew into the boat, slamming into the bottom of the craft hard. The bullets bounced harmlessly off of an invisible barrier surrounding the three vampires.

In a panic, Angel rushed forward and grappled with Drusilla, trying to free Connor from her grip as she tried running back to the boat. The pair staggered about the dock, fighting over the now screaming child.

“Let him go! We got what we came for!” Warren shouted, dropping back into the boat.

Drusilla released the boy and was away, bounding into the craft as Warren fired it up and gunned it, racing away.

Angel held Connor tightly against him. He watched as the craft shot out into the night. A heartbeat later, another boat, another favor from Lilah Morgan, took up pursuit.

Warren sat behind the wheel of the boat, speeding out of the marina. He turned when he saw the speedboat chasing them. “Seems you guys brought some friends.” He said to Wesley.

“You didn’t think we’d actually trust you, did you?” The ex-Watcher said, snarkily.

“Kinda, yeah. Figured you’d be stupid. Kind of nice to see you aren’t that dumb. Amy? Can you do anything about them?” He asked, pointing to the boat behind them.

“I think so. Get closer to the rocks.” She said, moving to the back of the boat. She concentrated. Warren did as she asked. Their pursuers kept close, staying on their tail. As they passed the shore, Amy put her power to use. The steering wheel of the boat behind them suddenly cranked left sharply. The boat veered off and collided with the rocky shoals, flipping over in the water in pieces.

“Hah!” Warren said, happily. “Nice work. Let’s go home, ladies. We got some interrogating to do.”

Wesley felt his heart sink. He was fresh out of rescuers.

 


	75. Chapter 75

 

Angel turned and ran toward his car. He was feeling a host of mixed emotions at the moment. He was heartbroken because the three of them had gotten away with Wesley, but at the same time, he was glad to have his son back. He dropped into the driver’s seat and gently pulled the blanket back from Connor’s face to see the boy. “Daddy’s got…” He stopped when he noticed the child. The child that wasn’t his. “No.” He said, tears falling. “God, no.” The baby immediately began screaming again.

He set the baby down on the seat and fired his car up. He hit the hands-free and dialed a number that he had hoped he would never have to again.

“Hello?” A sharp female voice asked. Given how few people had the number, she was understandably guarded.

“Kate? It’s Angel. I need your help,” He said as he raced off. Gunn and Fred immediately followed him in his pickup.

She was quiet for a moment. “What’s wrong?” She finally asked.

“I don’t need you to do anything strange. Well, not strange according to us, but…” He sighed. “I’m bringing a baby to your apartment.”

“Um…what?” She asked, surprise evident in her voice.

“Three vampires got into the hotel and ambushed Cordy. They drained her took my son.”

“Connor, right?”

“How did you know that?” Angel asked.

“Cordelia keeps me up to date on things. So you’re bringing Connor to my apartment? Why?”

“It’s not Connor. The vampires didn’t want Connor. They wanted Wesley. We were supposed to make a trade tonight. But the baby they gave up wasn’t Connor.”

“That surprises you?” Kate said, snidely.

“I don’t need a lecture right now. I need you to get this baby back to his parents.” Angel said. “I can’t take it to a hospital or a police station without it raising a ton of questions.”

“Fine. I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks, Kate. There’s gotta be parents out there worrying about this kid.”

“You hope,” Kate said, hanging up the phone.

After dropping the baby off at Kate’s apartment, Angel, Fred, and Gunn made it back to the hotel. As they entered, Lilah and one of the divers stood in the lobby in front of a laptop that sat on the counter. Cordelia was sitting on the sofa, still looking a little gaunt.

“Well, that all went to hell, didn’t it?” Lilah asked. “And let me guess. The baby wasn’t Connor?”

“No,” Angel said, sternly. “I’m gonna be honest. For Warren, it doesn’t make sense. He’s a smart kid. He’s nuts, but he’s sharp. He knows that I’d be looking for Wesley, but Connor…” He shook his head. “Connor doesn’t make any sense. He’s not useful to them.”

“Maybe that’s why he took Connor in the first place.” Gunn offered. “I mean, look at you. You’re a mess. This is gonna have you twisted up trying to find him. You won’t be able to think about anything else. That might be his plan.”

Angel looked at him. “I didn’t think of that.” He paused a moment. “Which is exactly the point.” He moved over and sat down beside Cordelia.

“Well, how about a piece of good news?” Lilah said, pointing to the laptop. “We’ve got a tag on the boat Warren used to take Wesley.”

“As soon as the rig pulled up to the dock, we were able to get a tracer on it.” The diver grinned at the vampire. “We’ve got a team following along on the main road. As soon as he comes ashore, we’ll know about it.”

Angel sighed and smiled. “Good.” He said. “Just make sure they don’t kill any of them. We get that pleasure.”

 

Wesley was freezing as he sat in the back of the truck with a blanket around him. Just after they’d left the marina, Warren had rigged the boat with some sort of remote driving system that would take it north along the coastline until it ran out of fuel. Wesley was fitted with a scuba tank and mask and the four of them dove into the water and swam to shore.

They swam for almost a half an hour. He was on the verge of hypothermia by the time they reached the shoreline. They climbed up the rocks in the dark and walked the near mile to the armored truck that Warren had secured.

“Why leave the boat?” Wesley asked, curiously.

Warren lifted a device from his pocket. “This tells me if there’s a tracker of any kind within a twenty-foot radius. It went off as soon as we pulled away from the dock.”

“Exactly what is it you hope to gain by abducting me?”

“Information, my dear Wesley,” Warren said. “You know things that we need to know.”

“What makes you think I’m going to tell you anything?”

“It’s not a question of whether you’ll talk or not. It’s how much you’re willing to endure before you do.” He pointed to Drusilla. “Push comes to shove, she can get the information out of you regardless.”

“I think you underestimate how strong my will is,” Wesley said, confidently.

“Well, if that fails, we can always turn you,” Amy said, grinning at him. “Then you’ll want to tell us what you know. If only for the fun of watching what we’ll do with it.”

Wesley swallowed. He couldn’t fault that kind of logic. He could endure torture. He’d done so before. He wasn’t certain what the limits of Drusilla’s powers were, but he knew they were formidable. It would be a tough battle of wills, but he was ready to fight it. But if what Amy said was true, if they did turn him, then everything he knew, about the slayer, about the Watcher’s Council and about Angel Investigations would more likely as not be used to devastating effect. He leaned back and sighed. He was definitely up shit creek.

Drusilla moved past Wesley to the small bassinet in the back of the truck and pulled a baby out. “Cute little baby.” She said as the child began to fuss.

Warren furrowed his brow. “Drusilla, what is that?”

“It’s Connor,” Wesley said, looking at the child.

The vampire pulled off the road and pulled to a stop. “What?” He asked, turning to regard the child. “I told you to give him back.”

“I didn’t want to,” Dru said, looking sternly at Warren. “He’s my baby now.”

“No, he’s not.” Warren rose to his feet and stormed to the back of the truck. “Do you have any idea what Angel would do to us? He doesn’t give a damn about this asshole, but he’ll hunt us down like dogs to get his son back.”

“I like him and I want to keep him,” Drusilla said, looking at the adorable child. “He’s going to grow up to be big and strong. Just like his daddy.”

“We’re giving him back,” Warren said, angrily. “And the next time you undermine me, I’ll stake you myself.”

Drusilla turned slowly toward him. “Miss Edith doesn’t like it when you threaten us.”

“Well, Miss Edith isn’t in control here,” Warren said. “We’re not keeping him.”

Drusilla’s hand shot out, catching Warren around the throat and pinning him to the wall. “I want him. I get what I want.”

Warren stared at her with narrow eyes. He reached up and put the end of the stun gun against her neck. Drusilla jolted and fell to the floor, dropping Connor as she collapsed. Wesley reached out and snatched the boy from the air. “You could have seriously hurt him.”

“What the fuck, Warren,” Amy said, moving over to check on Dru.

“I’m the one running this show. You two need to understand that,” He said, his voice filled with irritation. He turned to Wesley. “That kid isn’t even supposed to be here. I wanted to give him back. I thought we were going to give him back.” He looked at Drusilla as she stared up and him with wide raging eyes. “I was disobeyed. It won’t happen again.”

Wesley got to his knees and put Connor back in the bassinet. “Angel is not going to stop until he sees you dead. You do know that.”

“Oh, he’ll stop,” Warren said. “Because he won’t have any reason to come after us. After we’re done with you, we’re going to give you both back and disappear.”

“Oh, we know where you’ll be going,” Wesley said. “You’re going to use something I know to hurt Faith.”

“Glad to see working with the enemy hasn’t dulled your intellect,” Warren said as he moved back up to the front seat of the truck. “Don’t worry. It’ll all be over soon.”

 

Angel and Gunn pulled up behind the black Humvee as they arrived at the beach to the north near Gladstone’s Restaurant by Sunset Blvd. They stepped out of the rig and followed the pair of special ops gunmen to the beach. “The boat landed about twenty minutes ago.” One of the pair said.

Angel moved closer and investigated it. “It was dumped,” He said, shaking his head. “Look.” He pointed to the apparatus attached to the steering wheel.

Gunn looked at it and shook his head. “That is some sophisticated stuff. You weren’t playin’ around. The boy is smart as they come.” He looked at Angel. “I don’t even think Fred could come up with this kind of thing.”

“Do you think they found the tracker?” Angel asked. He then sighed and shrugged. “I guess it doesn’t really matter now, does it?” He turned and began walking back to his car.

Gunn trotted up beside him. “Don’t worry, man. We’re gonna get him back.”

Angel looked at him and nodded. He handed the keys to Gunn. “You drive.” He said, sliding into the passenger seat.

They got back to the hotel a half hour later. “They ditched the boat. Must have jumped out somewhere along the shore.” Gunn said as he and Angel entered the hotel. He pulled the remote unit out of a bag. “He put this on this thing to throw us off.” He handed it off to Fred.

Angel turned and walked up the stairs. Cordelia rose from the sofa and followed him. Gunn made his way and flopped down next to Fred. “He’s tore up.”

“Can you blame him?” Fred asked, looking over the tech. “He just lost his son and one of his best friends. I can’t imagine a worse pain than that.”

“I can,” Gunn said. “And if Angel ever finds Warren, he’s gonna show him just how bad that kind of pain can hurt.”

Cordelia entered the room to see Angel standing beside the crib, holding one of Connor’s toys. She moved over and wrapped her arms around him from behind. For long moments they just stood together in the silence of the room. “This is what Warren wants,” Cordy said, softly. “You’re holding an option in your hand and you don’t even realize it.”

Angel tossed the toy down and looked up at the ceiling. “I’m not in the mood for games, Cordy.”

“If you were thinking clearly, you’d see what I mean.” She moved around him and lifted the toy. “Who does this belong to?”

“Connor,” Angel said, simply. “It was the first toy we ever bought him.”

“You have the first piece of it right there.” Cordelia held his hand and set the little stuffed bear into it. “Think about it.”

Angel fought past the rage and tried to think. Suddenly, it came to him. He slowly began to smile. “You’re a genius.” He said, pulling her in and kissing her. He turned and ran out of the room. A heartbeat later he ran back in, lifted her off her feet and rushed back out sprinting down the stairs. “We need to do a location spell.” He held up Connor’s teddy bear.

The group quickly gathered what they’d need. Fred and Cordelia drew the casting circle on the floor of the lobby while Angel and Gunn lit candles and placed them just so. Angel felt like his stomach was doing cartwheels. The hope that he would have Connor in his arms again made his skin warm and prickly. The fact that a million things, at the moment conspired against him, washed him cool again.

“I’m tellin’ you. When we get that kid back, we’re having him lo-jacked.” Gunn said as he worked.

“You know, I’ve never really been a fan of that, but right about now I’m starting to see the appeal,” Angel said.

“As many people as we’ve had thus far trying to steal him, it’s really not a bad idea.” Cordy piped in. “We’re done.”

“I could pick up the RFID and do it myself,” Fred said. “It’s not that hard. Just a little tick in the back of the neck and there we are. It won’t even set off metal detectors.”

“Let’s just get him back, first,” Angel said, setting the teddy bear in the middle of the circle. Fred handed him the magical disk she’d found in Wesley’s effects and the violet powder needed for the spell. Gunn and Cordy unrolled a map of Los Angeles and stepped away.

He began chanting, pouring the purple powder over the disk. The candles burned brighter as the magic began to swell. Cordy, Gunn, and Fred all watched as the flame on the candles rose higher into the air. In a flash, magical energies gathered above them and swirled down into the disk. A bright red beam shot from the disk toward the map.

Angel, Cordy, Fred, and Gunn watched intently as the focus approached the map, ready to determine where the vampire’s son was to be found. At the last minute, the beam dispersed and caused the entire map to burst into flames.

“What?” Angel said, running to the map. “No, no, NO!” He sank to his knees watching as the blackened ashes rained to the floor.

“Did we do the spell wrong?” Fred asked, looking at the spellbook.

“No,” Cordelia said. “Amy must be shielding him, somehow.” She moved over knelt beside Angel, resting a hand on his back. “We’ll think of something else.”

“Well, the chances are good that we won’t be able to find Wesley, either,” Gunn said stepping over with a broom and dustpan. He began sweeping up the ash.

Cordelia looked at Fred. “If that’s the case, would Amy have to shield each person separately, or can she shield the location?”

Fred shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m, I’m not that familiar with magic.” The girl said, softly. “I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright,” Cordy said, getting to her feet. “Time for me to make some business to business calls.” She looked to Gunn. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”

“You got it,” Gunn said.

“Fred, I want you to hit our books. See what you can find out about shielding spells and the like. I’m gonna make a couple of calls and see if we can narrow it down a little.”

“Okay, Cordy.” She said, nodding.

Cordelia spared one last look at Angel as he sat on the floor, staring blankly at the charred remains of the map. She turned and made her way into the office and closed the door. She sat at the desk and lifted the phone, dialing a familiar number.

“Hello?” A groggy voice answered.

“Willow?” Cordy asked.

“Cordelia? What’s going on?” The perky redhead asked, sitting up in bed. Faith and Tara both turned to regard her, curious expressions on their faces.

“I need your help.” The ex-cheerleader said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Warren, Amy and Drusilla came to the hotel.”

“Oh, no. Is everyone okay?” Willow asked.

“For the most part. I got into a fight with them, but they managed to bite me and…”

“They didn’t turn you, did they?” Willow was a little panicked.

“No, Willow. I’m not a vampire.” Cordy couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “They just drained me and left me on the floor. But they took Connor.”

“Oh, god,” Willow said, her voice nearly failing her. “Here, I’m putting you on speaker.” She tapped the button. “I thought the hotel had a non-violence spell around it.”

“Amy bypassed it, somehow.” Cordy offered, sadly. “For some reason that we can’t puzzle out, Warren wanted Wesley, not Connor. We were supposed to make a trade tonight at midnight. Wesley for Connor.”

“Let me guess. Warren didn’t live up to his end and now he has both Wes  _and_  Connor?” Faith asked.

“That’s about the size of it. Warren is…he’s smart. Smarter than we gave him credit for. He had this planned. I mean it was like,  _Leverage_  planned,” Cordy said, shaking her head. “We just tried doing a location spell for Connor and couldn’t. It was blocked, somehow.”

“Truthfully, that isn’t very difficult. A witch of Amy’s caliber would be able to pull it off rather easily.” Willow said.

“The question I had is would Amy be able to shield the entire location or would she have to do it individually?”

“It actually works both ways,” Tara said. “I-I don’t know if she’s strong enough to shield an entire building, but she could easily shield one or two people. It’s a bit draining, though. She would have to maintain it.”

“Do you need us down there?” Faith asked.

“Not just yet. There’s really nothing that you could do,” Cordy said. “Having extra people isn’t going to matter if we don’t know where to look.”

“Too bad you don’t have something that belongs to Warren,” Faith said. “Kid’s smart, but he’s overconfident. That’s led him to some pretty shitty places up here.”

Cordy was suddenly stricken with an idea. “We do have a piece of tech that he put on the boat.”

“That would work,” Willow said. She turned to Tara for confirmation. “As long as he didn’t give it to anyone else, it should still work.”

“But if Amy is shielding Connor and Wesley, then she’d probably be shielding the rest of them, too,” Cordy said, sadly.

“I don’t think so,” Faith said, shaking her head. “Warren needed Jonathan and Andrew for his magic. Which leads me to believe he doesn’t really know much about it. And let’s face it, Amy is a rank amateur at best. She probably had some artifact to temporarily bring down the spell around the hotel. She killed her old man and torched her house, so there’s nothing of hers to salvage. And frankly, I don’t think they’d consider the tech you guys found because it isn’t important,” Faith said. “It’s diversionary garbage.”

“But it still belonged to him,” Tara said. “That gives you something to go on.”

Cordy thought about it. It actually made sense. Warren and company were smart and could reasonably hash out likely scenarios. Up until then, everything that they’d done was almost like something out of a movie. And given that the boy was a nerd, he’d seen them all. So it was time to do something that the heroes in the movies never did. Think. “I think I know what we need to do,” Cordy said, smiling. “Thanks, girls.”

“If you need us, let us know,” Faith said. “I could have us there in an hour.”

“It’s a two-hour drive.” Cordy returned.

“Leadfoot and a fast car,” Faith said. “Keep us posted.”

Cordy ended the call and rose to her feet, moving out into the office. “Get the spell set up. We’re trying it again.” She said, matter of fact.

“It won’t do any good,” Angel said. He’d gotten up off the floor and was now sitting on the sofa holding the bear that they’d used to try and find the boy. “Amy’s blocking us from finding him.”

“We’re not trying to find Connor,” Cordy said. She walked over and lifted the remote control unit. She stepped over and held it out to Angel. “We’re gonna try finding Warren.”

The vampire looked up at her. “It still won’t work.”

“I just called and talked Willow and Tara. From what they told me, Amy isn’t strong enough to shield all of them from us. She’s more than likely just blocking us from locating Wesley and Connor. But we had something that belongs to Warren. Where we find him, we find Connor and Wesley.”

Angel stared up at her for a long moment. He then shot to his feet and pulled her in, kissing her intently. “How’d you get so smart?”

“I’m not. I just know a lot of smart people.” Cordy said. “Come on. We’ve got a dead nerd to find.”

 

Wesley didn’t struggle as they strapped him down into the chair. Three vampires, regardless of how pathetic they might be, were still more than a match for him. Especially given that he was weaponless. “I suppose now comes the punching and posturing?”

Warren sighed. “We could,” He said, crossing his arms. “I mean, we could beat on you if it’ll make you feel more manly. Scars to show any potential girlfriends. Make them think you were a badass.” He shook his head. “But that’s not what we’re doing here. We need to get what we need from you. Once that’s done, we’re sending you back to Angel hale and whole. But with the knowledge that what you know is gonna spell the end of the slayer and her friends.”

“Then do your worst,” Wesley said. “But could I at least ask one favor? Would you be so kind as to take my glasses off? I have a rather complex prescription and wouldn’t want to have to replace them.”

Amy took them off his face and looked through them. “Oh my god.” She said, snatching them away from her eyes and blinking. “You’re blind as hell.”

“Quite,” Wesley said. “So what question would like me to tell you to go to hell to first?”

“Three years ago, something happened to Buffy that caused her to lose her slayer powers. What was it?”

“This is where I tell you to go to hell,” Wesley said. “I suggest the left cheek, given that you’re right-handed. A good right-left combination also works well I hear.” He wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Given that he’d survived Faith at her absolute worst, he was fairly certain these three wouldn’t offer much.

“I had a feeling you’d say that,” Warren said. “Drusilla? You’re up.”

The raven-haired vampire smoothed up and straddled his lap. “Don’t be afraid, my little Watcher-man. Soon, it’ll be all over.”

Wesley closed his eyes and refused to look at her. “I know all about you, Drusilla. I’ll not make it easy for you.”

Amy moved over and whispered into his ear. “Then don’t make it easy for her. Make it easy for the brat. You don’t let her in, I’ll start bleeding the kid nice and slow. Hell, I might even have some real fun and turn him. An infant vampire. Won’t that be a sight?”

Wesley snapped his eyes open and looked at her. “You disgust me,” He said, spitting in her face. “Angel is easily going to be able to perform a location spell. He’s every bit the magic user you are.”

“You think he’s going to find you,” She said, wiping the spit from her face. “That’s adorable.” She moved over and lifted the baby from the bassinet. She then went game face. “What’s it going to be, Wesley? You gonna open up for Dru or do I get… _snackish_?”

Wesley swallowed and turned to Drusilla. He could feel her moving through his mind, reaching for the secrets that he’d garnered from the Watcher’s Council. Tears slid down his cheek as he unwittingly betrayed everyone he cared about…to hopefully save baby Connor’s life.

 


	76. Chapter 76

 

“What I can’t figure out…” Gunn began as he checked the crossbow one more time. “Is why they’d want Wes in the first place?”

Angel raced along in the convertible. He had his heart set on getting Connor and Wesley back. Killing Warren, Drusilla and Amy was going to be a very, very nice bonus. “Who knows?” He returned whipping through traffic. “We’ll figure all of that out later.”

Cordelia sat in the backseat with her chin in her hand. “I’ll bet it has something to do with Faith.”

Angel looked at her in the rearview mirror. “What could he tell them about Faith that they don’t already know?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just…I just have a feeling that’s what they’re after.”

“Well, he was a Watcher. Maybe he has some kind of insider information on the whole slayer deal.” Gunn offered.

“He has  _all_  the insider information on slayers,” Angel said. “What he knows could be pretty dangerous for her.”

“I remember this time when Buffy stopped being a slayer back in our senior year. She lost her powers or something. Turns out the Watchers Council screwed her and were trying to kill her.” Cordy said.

Angel regarded her. “She told me about that. I was pissed.”

“Why would the Watcher’s Council wanna kill their slayer? That don’t make any damn sense.” Gunn said. “Actually it sounds outright stupid if you ask me.”

Angel shook his head. “They weren’t deliberately trying to kill her. From what Buffy told me it was a test. Every slayer goes through it on their eighteenth birthday. They’re given some sort of toxin that strips everything away that makes them a slayer and locked in an unfamiliar battlefield with a strong vampire. They have to slay it or it kills them. But you have to understand. The Watcher’s Council sees the slayer as a weapon or a tool. Something to be used until it’s broken and tossed aside. If Buffy died, they didn’t care. They had another slayer to work with. And if Faith didn’t play ball, they’d eliminate her and try again.”

“That’s just messed up. Kinda defeats the purpose of having slayer powers, don’t it?” Gunn said. “I mean, yeah, I’ve killed my fair share, but something like that happen to me, I’d be pissed.”

“She was, believe me,” Cordy said. “She even threatened to kill the Watcher’s Council guy if he showed back up in Sunnydale. But Giles was fired from being her Watcher and Wesley got sent instead.” She chuckled. “God, he was such a dork.”

“Didn’t stop you from kissing him,” Angel said.

“I was younger and stupider back then,” Cordy said. “And it was something I’d rather forget.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Angel offered.

Cordy was quiet for a minute. “That’s what he wants Wesley for.” She said, suddenly.

“What?” Angel asked.

“What are you talking about?” Gunn asked her, turning to look at her.

“Warren wants Wesley because he knows what they gave Buffy to strip her of her slayer powers that night. He’s gonna try to replicate the Crushed-menthol or whatever it was.”

“Cruciamentum,” Angel said. “That does explain it.” He pushed the Plymouth harder. “We’re getting close. Let’s just hope that Wesley was able to hold out. If Warren finds that out, Faith’s in a world of crap.”

They roared up to the small dockside warehouse and leapt out of the car, readying their weapons. Angel ran up to the front door and put his large boot into it, smashing it open. The wail of a crying child rent the air.

Gunn lifted his flashlight and began shining it around the room. “I think we’re too late, bro.” He said, moving slowly along.

Angel sniffed the air and sighed. “They were here, but they’re gone, now.” He said. “Cordy. Call Faith. Let her know to expect company. And tell her what we think.” The fashionista moved outside, pulling her cell phone from her pocket.

“There!” Gunn said, pointing the flashlight to the floor. “It’s Wes.” He trotted over and knelt down. The ex-Watcher was alive, but barely. He was pale and breathing very shallow. “They damn near drained him dry.”

Angel looked around and saw the bassinet. He ran over and looked down to see his son crying furiously. He gently reached down and lifted him into his arms. “It’s okay. Daddy’s got you.” He said, softly. Connor quieted immediately. “I’m sorry. Daddy’s sorry. I promise I’ll try to never let this happen again.” Showing an insane amount of trust, he turned and offered Connor to Gunn. “Here you take him. I’ll carry Wesley.”

Gunn nodded and slung his crossbow, taking Connor in his arm. “Let’s go home, junior.”

Angel hefted Wesley up and made for the door.

Cordy dialed the house. It was just after four in the morning. She heard the phone click. “‘Ello?”

“Spike? It’s Cordelia.” She said. “I need to talk to Faith. It’s urgent.”

“Right, then. Just a sec, love.” He took the stairs in sections and knocked on the bedroom door that Faith, Tara, and Willow shared. He heard groaning from within. “Phone call for Faith. It’s Cordelia. Says it urgent.”

The other line clicked. “I got it.” Faith said. “Thanks, Spike.”

“No problem, slayer.” He said, hanging up.

“What’s up, C?” Faith asked. “You guys need backup?”

“No. We found Connor and Wesley. Wesley was drained, but he’s still alive. We’re taking him to the hotel now. Connor is fine. But we think Warren and his bitches are heading your way.”

“Stands to reason.” Faith said. “Any idea what they’re planning?”

“We think he kidnapped Wesley to learn something from him about you,” Cordy said. “We think he’s gonna do to you what the Watcher’s Council did to Buffy on her eighteenth birthday.”

“The Cruciamentum?” Faith asked. Her heart dropped. “He’s gonna try and strip my slayer powers.”

“We think so. He was probably trying to learn what the stuff is they give you to do it. He just left here not more than a half hour ago.” Cordy said. “We just thought you should know.”

“Good lookin’ out. Keep me posted on Wes.” Faith said.

“I will. Good luck. You need help, let us know.” Cordy said, ending the call. She saw Angel coming out with Wesley unconscious in his arms. Gunn was right behind with Connor. Cordy pocketed her phone and jumped into the back of the car, taking the baby boy from Gunn. Angel gingerly set Wesley in the seat and climbed behind the wheel. They raced off toward the hotel. “I called Faith. She knows the score. I told her we’d be here if they needed help.”

Angel nodded. “Good. Warren has no idea what he’s in for.”

Cordy and Gunn agreed fully. The boy was in for a world of hurt when they tried whatever scheme they were cooking up. By the time they got back to the hotel, Angel was actually smiling.

 

Faith sat there, fear gripping her heart. She remembered talking to Buffy after that whole fiasco. It took her almost a week to get her powers back. Faith was utterly terrified when she thought of the kind of damage the three of them could do in a week without her to help stop them. Spike was fast and strong, but he wasn’t her. And Drusilla knew him inside and out. She  _made_ him for Christ’s sake. Buffybot was tough as nails and strong as hell, but again, she wasn’t a slayer. Warren knew her bolt by bolt. He’d have ways to stop her if the need arose. Then there was Amy. Rank amateur or not, she was able to pull off some pretty serious magic, from what everyone told her. She knew the group pretty damn well.

The more she thought about it, the more she understood how dangerous Warren had become. When it was three geeks in their basement LARPing as supervillains, it was all fun and games. They weren’t a serious and viable threat.

But now, those nerds were replaced with a two-hundred-year-old vampire, an undead witch and a super genius without anything even approaching a conscience.

 _Now_ , they were a viable threat. More than that, they were truly terrifying. And with what they may or may not have learned from Wesley, who knows what they could do?

Faith started as she felt soft hands on her back. Willow and Tara both sat up beside her, trying to comfort her. “I…I need to leave. To get out of Sunnydale.” She said, fear in her voice. She turned and looked at the girls in turn. “If I get out of town, tonight then Warren will come after me. He’ll forget about the rest of you and just try and get me.”

Both witches shook their heads. “No,” Willow said. “It isn’t just Warren. It’s Amy and Drusilla, too. Both of them have bones to pick with this group. At least some of us.”

“Amy is b-b-bitter about us supposedly th-throwing her out.” Tara offered. “Being a vampire now is just going to make it worse.”

“And Drusilla isn’t going to be happy with, well…any of us.” Willow added. “She hates Spike for choosing first Buffy, and now Justine over her. That’s gonna stick in her craw. And the fact that I gave Angel his soul back? She’s not happy with us at all. Even if Warren does chase you, his hench-floosies are still gonna want a piece of the rest of us. And you know he’d abduct any number of us to get to you. Look what he was willing to do to get to Wesley.”

Tara took Faith’s hand. “We’re stronger together than we are apart.” She said, softly. “Even if you lose your slayer powers…even if he does manage to do that, is being a slayer really  _all_  you are, Faith?”

Faith nodded. “Without the slayer in me, I’m no good to anyone.”

“That isn’t true. You’re still a brilliant woman. Even without the powers, you know that vampires can still get killed. Look at Gunn and Justine. Hell, look at Cordelia. She manages to fight vampires and do some damage.” Willow offered.

Faith sighed and shook her head. “I knew this was gonna happen.” She said, sadly.

“What?” Willow asked her.

“I knew you two were going to talk me out of everything negative I’m thinking right now. I’m scared that I’m going to fail to protect anyone. I’m afraid I’m going to fail B.”

“You’re not a failure, Faith. Everything you’ve done, everyone you’ve helped since being back in our lives proves that.” Willow said, pulling her in close. “We’re not going to let you do this alone. We’ll talk to Giles in the morning. See about finding out about this serum that Warren wants to duplicate and find out if there’s a way to counteract it.”

“What if there isn’t?” Faith asked. “What if he manages to find a way to make it permanent?”

Tara moved around and straddled Faith’s lap. “Then we’ll just have to find a magical way to make you a slayer again, won’t we?”

Willow was actually shocked that Tara would suggest a magic route to return Faith’s powers if the need arose. Slowly, over the course of the past few months, Willow had been learning that magic wasn’t the answer to everything. But at the same time, Tara was realizing that magic was a viable alternative when it came down to it. And sometimes, the girls could come to terms that, when they were both exhausted and needed to cook dinner for the group, magic was an acceptable vice that they would both dabble in. Magic, on more than one occasion, had created a pretty damn good lasagna. She moved up behind Faith and wrapped her arms around her. “For now, I guess we’re just going to have to take your mind off of things, aren’t we?” She began kissing down the left side of Faith’s neck while Tara took the right.

“Christ. This is so cheating.” Faith said, dropping the phone to the floor.

 

Warren sat behind the wheel of the truck, heading east. He couldn’t help but feel proud. His plan went off without a hitch. He looked in the rearview mirror and sighed happily. Amy and Dru were both nude from the waist up making out like there was no tomorrow. They’d both done extremely well. Drusilla managed to rip everything they needed from Wesley’s mind in the span of a few minutes. Amy had shown incredible restraint in not turning him. He knew the girl wanted to but he had to remind her that the Los Angeles crew wasn’t their target. They were after the slayer and her friends. Once that was done, all bets were off.

Now, he needed supplies. In New York, he knew just where to find them. He hadn’t been idle the whole time he was gone. He’d been spending his time and money wisely. He still had a lot of work to do, but when he was done, the slayer, her friends and everyone who dared to stand against him would pay in blood for their gall.

The sun was starting to crest the Eastern mountains. He pulled off the side of the road and into a vacant lot. “Sun’s coming up.” He said to the ladies. He reached up and pulled down the heavy shades over the front windows. He turned to see the pair still going at it. “It’s good to be me.” He said, happily. He stood and headed for the back of the truck.

They turned and smiled at him, holding their hands out to him. He took them and let them pull him onto the bed they shared in the rig.

 

Giles heard the knock on the door of his flat from deep within the really fantastic dream he was having. “Someone’s at the door, Rupert.” Olivia offered with a sleep filled voice.

“Caught that,” Giles said, turning to look at the alarm clock. He groaned as he saw the time. It was just after seven in the morning. “Bloody hell.” He said, throwing his feet over the edge of the bed and sitting up. He rubbed his face in his hands and reached for his glasses. He donned a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt and finally his robe. He stepped into his slippers as he heard the thunderous knocking again. “I’m coming! Hold your sodding horses!” He shouted. He left the room, closing the door behind him and descended the stairs, reaching for the door handle. He pulled it open to reveal… “Faith? What are doing here at this hour?” He knew that if she had called on him so early, there was  _definitely_ a reason.

“We need to talk, G.” She said. He could hear the nervousness in her voice.

“Yes, of course.” He said, stepping aside. “You look petrified. What’s the matter?”

“Queen C called me a couple hours ago. She said that Warren, Dru, and Amy showed up down there.”

“Yes. You told me. They took Connor and Wesley.”

“Turns out they found out what Warren wanted Wesley for.” Faith was pacing the room. She was cracking her knuckles and nervously looking around. It was obvious she was agitated. Giles couldn’t honestly remember when he’d seen her in such a state. “They wanted information.”

Giles frowned. “What specifically were they wishing to learn?”

“C said that the three of them drained him nearly to death. He was out of it when they finally found him. Warren just left him and Connor alone and split. They ain’t sure, but they think he asked Wesley about the Cruciamentum.” She stared at him with fearing eyes. “I think they wanna take away my slayer powers.”

Giles didn’t put it together at first. “How can they take…?” His eyes dilated. “Oh, no. The compound that I gave Buffy on her eighteenth birthday.”

Faith nodded. “That’s what they’re thinking. They ain’t a hundred percent, but I gotta give ‘em credit. It’s the only thing that makes any kind of sense.” She sighed and leaned against the counter. “I mean, why else would they wanna kidnap Wes?”

“I have to agree with you. No other reason comes to mind.” Giles said, leaning back on his desk across from her. Both had their arms folded.

“We need to know everything about it,” Faith asked. “Exactly what’s in it?”

“It-It’s an organic compound. A combination of muscle relaxers and adrenal suppressors. It’s actually a rather complicated concoction. I mean its effects are temporary…”

“Unless he pumps me full of enough of the shit to kill me.” Faith said, her voice now tight with emotion. “Or at the very least, strips my powers permanently.”

Giles did shake his head. “The compound couldn’t do that.” He said, matter of fact. “No matter how much of it he introduces into your bloodstream, it wouldn’t remove your powers permanently. Eventually, you would metabolize it and return to your present state.”

“But he could OD me on it, right?” Faith asked. “I can still die from it.”

“Unfortunately,” Giles admitted, sadly.

“Is there some way to counteract it? Like…an antidote or something?” She asked him.

“Not so far as we know. It usually lasts anywhere from two or three days to a week.” Giles said.

“It took B a week to get her shit back. These three assclowns can do a lot of damage in a week without a slayer to keep them in line.” Faith said. “I’m not discounting the rest of you guys it’s just…”

“You’re scared. I understand. I know just how dangerous all of these individuals can be. Granted, I don’t know much about Warren beyond what Jonathan and Andrew have said, but Drusilla I am unfortunately intimately familiar with. And Amy, if she is as twisted and sadistic as we believe, then she will most likely as not be very similar to her mother. We’ve all seen what she’s capable of.”

Faith shook her head. “I’m not gonna lie, Tweed. I’ve dealt with some nasty things, but these three scare the shit out of me.” She sighed and looked at him again. “I thought about just bailin’ last night. Figured maybe if I got outta town, that Warren and his harpies would just come after me. Leave the rest of you alone.”

Giles stepped over and rested his hands on her shoulders. “You know that isn’t true. What Warren did in Los Angeles proves that he’s willing to go to any lengths to get what he wants. He was willing to sacrifice an innocent child for his own ends. He’d have no compunction against kidnapping and torturing Dawn, Kit, Daniel…any one of us if he thought it would get him you.”

“I know that now. Red and T-bear pointed that out to me.” She said to him.

“And they’re right. But that isn’t something we need concern ourselves with. We’ll make certain that everyone in our group takes precautions. No sole slaying for you. From now on Spike or Buffybot goes with you.” Faith nodded. “And Willow and I will see about finding some way of counteracting the compound. If we can somehow immunize you from it, then it takes his plan off the table.”

“Thanks, Giles.” Faith said, smiling at him. “I know you’ll do everything you can.” She looked at her watch. “I gotta go and pick Xander up for work.”

“Be careful. And don’t worry. We’ll stop him.” He smiled. “And think about this; they’re  _all_  vampires. That means at the end of the day, they’re no longer protected by human law. And what does the slayer do to vampires?”

“Normally? Stake ‘em. But these shits’ deaths are gonna come wicked, painful and slow at the hands of Milenko.” Faith said, growling.

“Who is Milenko?” Giles asked, furrowing his brow.

“Forget it.” Faith said, shaking her head. “I’ll see you later. And thanks for talking to me so early. I’m sorry to wake you up.”

“I’m your Watcher, Faith. I’m here for you day or night.” He said, hugging her. “I’ll get together with Willow this afternoon.”

“Thanks.” Faith said before leaving.

Giles massaged the bridge of his nose and went back upstairs. Olivia was still asleep in the bed. He contemplated going back to bed for a couple of hours but thought against it. He gathered his clothing for the day and headed in to take a shower. He had a long day ahead.

Faith left the apartment and drove to Xander’s condo. She was glad she gave the place up. She hated looking at the building. She hated everything about it. She really hated remembering what took place there years ago. She climbed out of the car and trotted inside and up the stairs. She tried really hard to push the morning’s events out of her mind. She knew that the crew would do their best for her. She’d protected them the best she knew how. Now it was their turn to do the same for her. Strangely, she didn’t really know how to feel about that.

She reached his door and knocked. A couple minutes later, Anya answered, dressed in a pretty red blouse with a pair of black slacks. “Good morning, Mrs. Harris. Can Xander come out and play?”

“No. But you can take him to work to earn money.” Anya said, smiling. “I’m sorry there’s a crazy vampire that wants to take your slayer powers away.” She pulled Faith in and hugged her. “We won’t let him do that. And if he does, I know a few vengeance demons that would be more than happy to help you out.”

Now, normally people would balk at the idea of a vengeance demon. Faith was  _not_  one of those people. “You seriously think if he took my powers, one of your old buddies would be able to fix my shit?”

“The wish is a very powerful thing,” Anya explained. “I know a demon that might be able to if it comes to that.”

“I’m definitely gonna keep that option open.” Faith said. “Never really thought about that avenue before.”

“And she’d be happy to do it. I don’t think she’s ever gotten to do it to a vampire before.” Anya said. “Should I contact her?”

“Not just yet.” Faith said. “But get her number handy.” Xander stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of jeans and no shirt. “You are one lucky woman.”

Anya sighed as she looked at him. “I’m picturing us having sex right now.”

“You two do know I can hear you, right?” He asked as he looked through his dresser. He pulled black tee out and slid it on, earning an “Aww,” from the girls. “Deal with it.” He sat on the sofa and put on his socks and boots. “Willow called us this morning. Told us what was going down with Warren.” He stopped and looked at Faith. “We’re not gonna let it happen.”

“I know you guys will do everything you can for me.” Faith admitted. “It’s just a little weird having everyone so ready to go to bat for me. When we accidentally killed Allan Finch, you guys would have never done that.”

Xander stared at her. “It actually hurts that you’d believe that.”

“I don’t believe that.” Faith said to him. “I did then, but I don’t now. If I’d have trusted you all a little more and been a little less wrapped up in my own personal bullshit, things would have been a lot different.”

“Doesn’t matter how you got here. Only matters that you’ve arrived, Faith.” Xander said, smiling. He rose to his feet and kissed his wife. “I love you. I’ll see you tonight.”

“I’ll be here,” Anya said, happily. She watched as the pair left the apartment and sighed. She was a woman in love. And she couldn’t be happier.

 


	77. Chapter 77

 

Faith ran across the cemetery, chasing down the young vampire girl. She had to admit, the girl could run. The vampire was taking headstones like hurdles. She followed, closing the gap. The vampire turned to see that Faith was catching her and growled, trying to run faster.

She was caught completely by surprise as a slim, leather-clad arm shot out from behind a mausoleum and slammed directly into her upper chest, flipping her in the air.

Faith was still running at full speed and leapt, landing a jump kick into the vampire’s chest, sending her flying through the wall of a crypt. The slayer landed hard on the ground and kicked herself to her feet. Buffybot stepped out of the shadows, pulling her helmet off. “What are you doing here?” Faith asked, dusting her bum off.

“I was going home when I saw you chasing this vampire. I thought you might want a little help.” The blonde bot said, smiling. “She looked like she was giving you a heck of a run.”

“No joke.” Faith said, heading for the crypt.

Buffybot fell into step beside her. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you supposed to be patrolling with someone watching your back?”

Faith sighed. “Yeah, I know.” She didn’t begin to argue with the girl. “It’s been like what? Three, three and a half weeks since Warren left LA?”

“Three weeks, four days, seven hours, twenty-three minutes…”

“Like I said.” Faith interrupted the bot. “Three and a half weeks. I’m tired of having to wait for him. I’ve been scared long enough.”

“It isn’t about being scared, Faith. It’s about keeping you alive.” Buffybot said, softly. “We all understand that you don’t like having to be cautious. It isn’t something you’re used to.”

“You’re right.” Faith offered, pulling the door of the crypt open. The girl she was chasing lay against the wall opposite the large hole she’d made a few seconds earlier. She wasn’t moving. Faith pulled her stake from her jacket and spun it in her hand. She knelt and dusted the vampire handily. “I just want him to try his hand so we can end this shit.”

Buffybot nodded. “He’s been playing it pretty close to the sweater…”

Faith chuckled. “Vest. Playing it close to the vest.”

“Warren doesn’t wear a vest,” Buffybot said. “He mostly wears sweaters.”

“It’s a saying.” Faith said, leaving the crypt. “Means he’s being secretive.”

“Oh,” Buffybot said. “Well, he’s doing that thing you said. I’m sure eventually he’ll show up.”

“I know he will. Boy’s a fuckin’ moron.” Faith said, shaking her head. “I’m just a little freaked out about what the LA crew said. The shit he learned from Wesley has me rattled.”

“Giles and Willow think they might have had some headway,” Buffybot said.

“So they keep saying. Problem is, we ain’t gonna know until it happens. And by then it might be too late.” Faith turned and leaned against her car. “I just want it over. Come what may, I want him dead. I’m sick of this Sword of Damocles hanging over our fuckin’ heads.”

Buffybot stepped over and hugged her. “Don’t worry. We’ll all be here for you. We’re not going to let anything happen to you.”

Faith smiled. “I know, B.” She said. “Let’s go home. I got girls and you got a man waiting on you.” She climbed into her ride as Buffybot sat down on her bike and pulled her helmet on.

They entered the house to see Dawn and Kit on the sofa playing some sort of racing game on the TV. Dawn appeared to be winning, but not by much. “Come on, Dawn. Move over.”

“Defeats the purpose of a race, don’t it?” Dawn said, twisting the controller this way and that.

Faith chuckled and walked into the kitchen after hanging her jacket up on the coat rack. Tara and Daniel moved around, cooking and prepping a late dinner of chicken fajitas. Willow and Justine sat at the island, chatting as the pair cooked. Faith moved up behind Willow and wrapped her arms around the girl. “Hey, Red.” She said, kissing the side of the girl’s neck.

“You were naughty,” Willow said, trying very hard to sound cross.

“Yeah, but isn’t that what you love about me?” Faith asked.

“You aren’t supposed to patrol on your own. What if Warren…”

“I needed the alone time.” Faith said. “I just needed to kick the shit out of something.” She continued kissing the girl’s pulse point.

Willow shuddered and giggled. “Stop that. You have to eat first.”

“Looks like she  _is_  eating to me,” Justine said, chuckling.

“You’re not helping,” Willow said, softly.

“What a ridiculous thing to say. Have you met me?” Justine asked, laughing.

“Red velvet cake.” Faith said, licking the girl’s pulse point again.

“Behave,” Willow said, making no effort to stop her whatsoever.

The brunette turned the redhead witch’s face toward her and kissed her lovingly. “Love you, Red.”

“I love you, too Faith,” Willow said. “Did you have a good night?”

“Yeah. Double B ended up helping out.” Everyone looked to see Buffybot and Daniel doing their level best to devour each other. “I wanna say get a room, but that would so be the pot calling the kettle black.”

“I suppose you’re just going to stand over there and ignore me,” Tara said, trying very, very hard to sound annoyed. The smile on her face did little to aid in the endeavor.

“How I could I forget my T-bear?” Faith said, moving over to the girl, pressing her body up behind her. She snaked her arms around Tara’s waist and likewise began pecking her way down her neck. “That smells good.”

“I added a little garlic and cayenne because I know you…”

“Wasn’t talking about the chicken.” Faith said, lustily.

“You three are gonna give me fuckin’ diabetes,” Justine said, shaking her head and taking another drink of her soda. “Sugarland Express over there ain’t helping any.” She added motioning toward the blonde robot and her fiancé. The pair were kissing each other fiercely. Both had their eyes closed and were embracing each other as though they were the last survivors on the Titanic and she was heading toward the bottom.

Willow turned to look at her. “Like you and Spike haven’t been caught making out before.”

“Where is bleach, anyway?” Faith asked, after giving Tara a knee-wobbling kiss.

“Right here, slayer.” He said, entering the house from the garage. He was carrying a paper bag. “Got what you asked for, Glinda.”

Tara moved over and began pulling things out of the bag. “Tortillas, jalapenos for Faith…”

The slayer moved in and kissed her. “I love you.” She said, happily.

“I know.” Tara returned. “Salsa and sour cream.” She pulled out a bottle of Brandy. “I don’t remember this being on the list.”

“A little something for the adults, what?” He said, pulling his girl in for a kiss.

Everyone was immediately startled as the sound of smashing glass emanated from the front room, quickly followed by Dawn and Kit both screaming.

Faith, Buffybot, and Spike bolted from the kitchen into the living room…to see Faith holding Dawn aloft by the throat.

“What the hell?” Spike asked, confused.

Faith ran at her doppelganger tackling her to the floor. The pair went down onto the sofa, upending it. Dawn was released and fell to the carpet, coughing. “Get them outta here!” The slayer shouted. There was a marked difference in the way the pair were dressed. The intruder wore a leather jacket, a red tank top and a pair of black leather pants. Faith, herself was clad in jeans and a black sleeveless t-shirt. But beyond that, they were identical. Right down to the hair length.

Faith Two slammed both palms into the slayer’s chest, sending her flying up into the ceiling of the living room.

Tara and Willow had a firm hold on each other’s hand. Willow reached out and stopped Faith before she impacted.

Faith Two kicked herself to her feet. Spike was there to meet her. His boot caught her in the chest, hurling her back out the window onto the lawn. He and Buffybot lunged out after her.

Willow lowered Faith to the floor. “What is that?” The redhead asked.

“A message.” Faith said, before jumping out through the window. She never made it. Dawn appeared in front of her seemingly from nowhere and spun kicked her across the teeth as she leapt.

Faith fell to the ground, dazed. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs to see the younger Summers girl, dressed in the exact same manner as Faith Two. She reached down and gripped Faith’s neck, lifting her from the ground. Faith drew back and drilled the girl in the mush. Dawn’s head was blasted to the side. She turned back and stared at Faith, seemingly unfazed. The skin on the side of her face was torn away to reveal the glint of steel. “They’re… robots.”

Spike flew through the air and landed hard on the ground. “That’s a bloody comfort.” He rose to his feet, shaking his head. “Seems old Warren learned a few new tricks.”

Dawnbot suddenly staggered forward, releasing Faith. The android turned to see Justine with a metal baseball bat. “Now that I’ve got your attention…” She swung again, cranking the bot across the head. She drew back to swing again. Dawnbot caught the bat and held it fast.

A few feet away, Buffybot and Faithbot fought hard and furious. They were trading and parrying blows like chop-socky kung-fu fighters on steroids. The brunette bot slammed a hard fist across the blonde’s jaw, staggering her back. “Warren said you were an inferior model.” The dark-haired bot snapped.

Buffybot dropped to a crouch, sweeping her counterpart’s feet from beneath her. Faithbot flipped up into the air. The blonde shot up and straight kicked her sending her on a flight across the lawn to slam into a tree. The trunk of the tree buckled tipping the sycamore over into the street with a mighty crash, narrowly missing Dawn’s little blue Beetle. “He must have been talking about you.” The blonde said, happily. “Because I’m robo-slayer, bitchcakes. And you’re just a tin toy from Tonka town. Trademark, 1955.”

Dawnbot tore the bat free of the redhead’s hand. Justine wisely backed away. Spike leapt into the fray, tackling the android to the ground. He hammered her into the grass. She took hold of his face in one hand and thrust him off of her. He rolled along the ground, coming to his feet. The bot kicked herself upright…only to meet Faith’s foot against her face, driving her back to the dirt. As she landed, she grabbed Faith’s leg and pulled the slayer down with her.

Faith dropped down on top of her. Dawnbot drove a hard fist into the slayer’s ribs. A sharp crack rent the air. Faith coughed as she felt herself getting weak. Spike grabbed her and hauled her free of the bot. She staggered away and fell to her knees, vomiting on the grass. “Christ.” She groaned.

Dawnbot immediately got to her feet and ran toward the Faithbot, helping her up. “It’s done.” She said to her brunette companion. The pair then turned to run away. They suddenly stopped in their tracks.

Willow and Tara stepped out of the house, their hands raised. It was obvious they were straining. “Someone get a chain or something,” Tara said. “I don’t want these two getting away.”

Daniel and Justine ran into the garage. Spike and Buffybot helped Faith to her feet and into the house.

Without warning, the pair of robots began sparking, before they both blew apart, sending shrapnel and flotsam in every which direction. Willow and Tara were both blown backward to land on their backs on the grass. “That was unpleasant,” Willow said, slowly getting to her feet. She offered her hand to Tara. The blonde took it and stood, dusting her back off. The redhead moved over to inspect the debris. “I’m not going to be able to learn anything from this.”

“Let’s go make sure Faith is alright,” Tara said, heading back into the house.

Faith lay on the sofa, shivering. She was sweating and struggling to breathe. “I, I can’t catch my breath.” She said, her voice hoarse.

“We need to get her to a hospital,” Spike said.

“You, Tara and Willow go ahead and take her,” Daniel said. “Justine and I will see about getting this window boarded up. Buffy will make sure we’re safe.:

Spike nodded and reached down and lifted Faith from the sofa. “Nibblet. Make sure and call around. Let everyone know that Warren’s back and he’s got robots that can look like anybody. Make sure to give everyone a safe word or something so we can recognize each other.”

Dawn nodded. “I’m on it.” She said, heading into the kitchen. Kit followed along behind her. Dawn reached for the phone and stopped as she saw Kit standing, staring at her. “Kit? What’s wrong?” The girl shook her head and buried her face in her hands. She began crying. Dawn moved over and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. “It’s alright. Everything’s gonna be okay.”

“How can you say that?” The girl asked, her voice small.

“Because…” Dawn said, lifting Kit’s face to look into her eyes. “We’ve been through this before. We know what we’re doing.”

“You almost died.”

Dawn chuckled. Her voice was still a little raspy. “Trust me, that wasn’t even close. I’ve come a lot closer than that.”

Kit stared at her. “I love you. I don’t wanna lose you.”

“You’re not going to,” Dawn said, kissing the pretty young girl. “I promise.” She then let her go and went over and picked up the phone.

Kit watched her as she spoke to the rest of the group. She believed the girl when she said everything was going to be okay. She believed…because she had to. It was the only thing keeping her from breaking down into hysterics at what she had just experienced.

Spike sat behind the wheel driving as fast as the Jeep would allow. Willow and Tara were in the back fretting over their girlfriend. Tara lifted Faith’s shirt. It was obvious Faith had a broken rib, but that wasn’t what had her suddenly worried. The skin around the rib was almost black. “Will, have a look at this.” She said.

Faith turned a little so the redhead could see. “What it is?”

“It looks like some sort of infection,” Willow said. “I’ve seen enough books and stuff to know that isn’t normal.”

Spike adjusted the rearview mirror to have a look. “If I didn’t know better I would say that was Uthrok venom.”

Willow looked at him. “What is that?”

“They were assassin demons back in the day. When our crew was still doing the big evil in Europe bit, we ran across one. Nasty buggers. Got venom that basically chews you up from the inside out. It’s nasty stuff, it is. Gotta say that looks like it. I’ve seen the stings before. But given that the Uthrok demon was nearly wiped out, I don’t see how it could be.”

“Is there any kind of a cure?” Faith asked.

“Short of something I know you’d never do, I don’t think so,” Spike said. “But if that’s what it is, I’m sure the Glindas and Giles can find something to help.”

“What wouldn’t I be willing to do?” Faith asked him.

“Let me turn you,” Spike said, looking her in the eyes. “I know you’d never do that. More to the point, I wouldn’t if you asked me.”

“I don’t think slayers can be turned,” Willow said. “Buffy was bitten and then fed from Dracula and she didn’t turn.”

“Sodding ponce,” Spike said. “Bastard owes me eleven quid.”

“Why?” Tara asked. “You’ve said that before.”

“Because he ruined my copy of Bram Stoker’s book. Way I figure it, he owes me for it.” He pulled up to the hospital. “Gonna collect from him, believe me.”

The girls got out and moved aside as Spike lifted Faith from the backseat and carried her into the hospital. “We need a doctor.” He said to the woman behind the desk. Willow ran down the hall and brought a gurney over. Spike set her down. “She’s got a broken rib and is having trouble breathing.”

The three were pushed aside as a trauma team immediately descended on the beleaguered slayer. The doctor on call began asking Faith a bevy of questions about what happened. Faith said that she was attacked by a mugger and took a hard shot to the ribs. She didn’t see if he had a weapon or anything.

Spike, Willow, and Tara were given a private waiting room. They all took a seat and waited. There was nothing else they could do.

Faith lay on the gurney, trying as hard as she could to draw a deep breath. Pain wracked her body every time she tried. “Can’t…breathe.”

“Well, that’s because your rib is broken, beautiful.” He said, smiling down at her. “I’m gonna check it over and see how bad it is, okay?” She gave him a nod. He cut the shirt away and inspected the wound. “What the hell?” He asked, sternly. “Did you get bitten by something?”

“Don’t know. Just felt a hell of a shot to my ribs that dropped me to the dirt.”

He gently prodded the area. Gooey black fluid seeped from the wound. “I can tell that the fracture isn’t bad. It won’t need surgery, but this discoloration and discharge bothers me.” He stared a moment. “We’re gonna go ahead and put you under so we can work on this without sending you through the roof, alright?”

She nodded. “You do whatever you need to do, doc.” Faith offered.

“We’ll get you better.” He said, patting her shoulder. A few minutes later, they had her transferred to an operating room and unconscious. “Everyone out.” He said stiffly. The nurses looked at each other but did as they were told. Once the room was clear, he closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He cleared his mind and lifted his sleeve, and began running his thumb over the intricate curves of the Gaelic cross tattooed on his skin.

“Aurora. Teacht amach. Ní mór saighdiúir de do arm do chabhair.” He said, his voice taking on a deep drone.

For many seconds, nothing happened. Then the lights in the room began to flicker. A strong wind began whipping to and fro, tossing papers and small objects to the floor. A bright flash of light appeared. When it faded, a tall woman with long silver hair, pale alabaster skin, and bright emerald green eyes stood in the room. She was clad in a long pale green gown that was nearly sheer. She looked at him, her visage narrowed. “You could have simply phoned.” She said, her voice sharp and irritated.

He chuckled and stepped forward, kissing her. She melted into his arms. They held the embrace for a moment before he stepped back. “You know full well that there’s no reception where your parents live. Verizon hasn’t quite gotten to the faerie realm yet.”

She chuckled. “I suppose that is true. But I told you. This is only for emergencies, James.”

He led her to the operating table. “Do you know who this is?”

“I do. Everyone in the underworld knows this girl. She is the slayer.” Aurora said, softly. “She is pretty.”

“She is also dying.” He motioned to the wound on her ribs. “She is afflicted. She hasn’t much time.”

“No. I dare say she does not.” She offered. “Do we know how it was found?”

“I don’t. I haven’t seen this since Mogadishu.” He said. “Do you think your mother can help?”

“I can ask her. But remember her words. The last time was the last time.” She sighed. “But, given that she is the slayer and her Watcher is Rupert Giles…”

“How do you know him?”

“There isn’t a faerie alive that doesn’t know him,” Aurora said, raising an eyebrow. “My mother knows him quite well. She and he, well…Let’s just say father has no love for the man. But mother is forever doing things to make him cross.”

“She cheated on your dad with him?” James asked, somewhat shocked. “Christ, no wonder your parents fight so often.”

“Oh, don’t let father assume the moral high ground. He’s had his own dalliances, let it be known. But given her relationship with him and this girl’s importance, she may be willing to make an exception. But you do realize what this would mean, don’t you?”

“If your mother saves her, she is going to be indebted to the Queen of the fey. Not something I’d be thrilled about, but given the alternative…” He shrugged.

“I will return soon, my love,” Aurora said, kissing him again before vanishing.

He pushed the call button, letting the nurses know that they could return. There were a few medicines that he knew would at the very least keep the affliction from spreading quickly. He just hoped that his wife’s mother was in a charitable mood.

 


	78. Chapter 78

 

 _Where am I?_  Faith thought as she looked around the countryside. In all her years of life, she’d never seen anyplace so  _green_. She walked slowly through a world that was a symphony of color and life. The sky was the most impossible shade of blue. The flowers upon the emerald green grass were the brightest hues of red, yellow and orange. Butterflies with wings as large as her hand fluttered to and fro on the gentle spring breeze. Birds of unknown species flittered from branch to branch singing happily, their plumage, a rainbow of color. She turned in place taking it all in. It was a veritable feast for the senses. Every sound was crystal clear, every scent preternaturally sharp. Every sensation was crisp and clean. It all sent a hum through her that she’d never felt before.

“Welcome, Faith.” She heard a musical voice call from behind her.

She turned and gasped loudly. The woman was by far the most beautiful figure she’d ever laid eyes on. She was tall, easily north of six and a half feet. Her hair was the color of moonlight and framed a slender, regal face. Her ears were long and rose to fine tapered points above the crown of her head, upon which sat a bejeweled tiara. The woman’s dress was of a finery that Faith never even knew existed. She honestly had no idea who – or what – the woman was, but her charisma and bearing screamed volumes that she was someone of means and importance. “Who…who are you?”

“If you have to ask, then my name would mean nothing to you.” The woman said. “Just the same, I am called Titania.”

“No way.” Faith said. She dipped into a curtsey. She was surprised that she still remembered how to do one. “I am sorry I didn’t recognize you, your grace.” Yes, she was Boston born and raised, but she read. And some of the books she read were fantastical adventures. She’d heard the woman’s name before. She knew full well who the queen of the fey was.

Titania, for her part, was rather shocked. She’d known much of this girl. Rude, crass, uneducated and undisciplined. She had her good qualities as well. Faith was loyal, to a point, had an overwhelming need to atone and thought honestly that she’d never be able to for what she’d done. Granted, in her world, the murder of one man and the accidental murder of another was as nothing, still, the girl carried guilt for the acts and wanted to make right what she saw as wrong. That was a rather honorable goal if a touch misguided. “You know of me?”

“I do, your grace.” At any other time, the words would have felt foreign and strange to her. But here, in the presence of this  _goddess_  they felt right.

Titania stepped up and looked down at her. “You surprise me, child.” She said, reaching out and caressing Faith’s cheek with her thumb. Faith felt the electric charge of  _power_.

Willow and Tara had mojo, true. But Titania was on a completely different level. Willow and Tara together could move mountains. This fey queen could move  _worlds_. “It’s not my place to question what you do, but…why are you even talking to me?” Faith asked, hoping that the woman wouldn’t be offended.

Titania laughed. It was a glorious joyful sound. “Ah, the naiveté of youth.” She calmed and regarded the slayer. “I wanted to meet you.”

“ _You_  wanted to meet  _me_?” Faith was flabbergasted.

“That is what I said.” Titania offered. “You are the slayer, are you not?”

“Well yeah, but…”

“There is not an individual of at least some level of intelligence the supernatural realms over that doesn’t know of the slayer.”

“I…” Faith shook her head. “I don’t know what to say.”

“A rarity for you, from what I’ve been able to gather,” Titania said. “Walk with me.” She motioned to the distance.

“This is a truly beautiful place.” Faith said. “Is this the fey world?”

“A mortal’s simple understanding of it, yes. It is a… _projection_  for your benefit, my dear.”

“What do you mean?” Faith asked.

“Let us just say that, to me? This world is nigh dull and muted. In comparison to the true faerie realm, it is as though looking through a dingy dust covered window.”

“This place is a Salisbury steak TV dinner and your world is a medium rare porterhouse with all the trimmings.” Faith said.

Again Titania laughed. “I suppose that is as good an analogy as any.”

“So why not let me see your world for what it really is?”

“Because it would drive you insane.” The fey queen said, softly. “The fey realm is widely regarded as perfection in life. The land of twilight. You would know it as Elysium.”

“Paradise.” Faith said. Titania nodded. “Someplace that the mortals of the world can’t see before they die.”

“One look upon my home and you would know nothing but despair for the rest of your days.” She motioned around. “As it is, seeing this, you will be saddened when you must inevitably leave it behind.”

“I can’t argue with that.” She turned to Titania. “Why did you bring me here?”

“I suppose I should just come right out and say it.” She stopped and faced Faith full on. “I am determining whether or not to save your life.”

“Why? What’s happening?” Faith asked her.

“You remember what happened to you, yes?”

“I…I was fighting with Dawn only she was a robot, I think. I got stabbed in my ribs. Her and a robot copy of me exploded.” Faith looked at her and suddenly understood. “This is a dream, isn’t it? Right now, I’m laying on that hospital bed because of some kind of poison or something. I’m right, aren’t I?”

“More or less, yes.” Titania sighed. “And it is up to me whether you live or die.”

“I have to prove to you that I’m worth saving, is that it?” Faith asked. There was no bitterness in her tone, no anger. It was simply a question and nothing more.

“If you die, another slayer is called, if my understanding is correct. There won’t be any lack for soldiers in the war. You have experience, yes, but physically, you are little more than a new slayer would be.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Faith said, crossing her arms. “Truthfully, your grace? I can’t really think of any reasons that would appeal to you to save me. It’s kinda your call. Being as powerful as you are, you really don’t give a shit about the little people.”

“What makes you so certain of that?”

“It’s Earth. It ain’t your problem. No matter how many humans get slaughtered or turned, it don’t affect this place.” Faith motioned around. “Elysium has been, is and always will be paradise. Nothing’s gonna change that. Me dying ain’t gonna have any impact on this place.”

“So you don’t care if you die?” Titania asked.

“Oh, I care. I don’t wanna die. I wanna live. I wanna grow old with Willow and Tara and be happy. Maybe adopt a kid to have around the house, I don’t know. I wanna live to be there for my friends and those I care about. I care, your grace. It’s just that I don’t think you do.” Faith said. “Life and mortality are meaningless to someone that’s immortal and all-powerful.”

“I am not all-powerful, Faith,” Titania said, her tone slightly amused.

“Closer than I’ll ever get.” The slayer returned.

“If you had your life to live over again. What would be different?” Titania asked. “Would you take back all of the mistakes that you made?”

Faith stared at the woman, thinking about the question. She knew full well it was a test. Were there things she would do over? Absolutely. But from what she understood of the flow of time, every action she took or didn’t take, led her to where she was now. She thought about her life as it was. She loved two girls and both of them loved her. She had friends that she cared about and that cared about her. She had a job that she enjoyed and was paid well for it. And to top it all off, she was a slayer, something she’d always loved being “If I thought I could change things in my past and still have what I have now, I would take back the things I did that hurt people. But I know that isn’t the truth. So no, I wouldn’t take back all the mistakes I made. Because doing that would change who I was. And who I am is who everyone around me loves and cares about.”

“So…all the people you hurt? Their lives mean nothing to you?” Titania asked.

“They mean a lot to me. But the place I am now in my life, I’m more focused, I’m thinking more clearly and I’m fighting smarter, not harder. I’m more effective and efficient and I’m probably racking up a higher vampire and demon body count because of a better game plan. I’m doing more good now than I’ve ever done. The mistakes of my past and, sadly, the people I’ve fucked up along the way have brought me here. Sounds selfish and, hell maybe it is, but it’s the truth. Like the saying goes, you can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”

Titania listened to her and smiled. “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few?”

“Or the one.” Faith added. “I want you to save me. I’m not gonna stand here and blow sunshine up your ass. I would love nothing more than to wake up in my hospital bed and be able to lay down the smack. That’d be awesome. I’d owe you big time if you did that for me. But I can’t think of a single reason that you should. I ain’t really gonna be able to bring anything to the table that another slayer, given some time and training wouldn’t be able to. I think a little flirting with the dark side gives me more of an understanding of how baddies think, but that’s marginal at best. Nothing that’s vital.”

Titania was impressed. She’d been in such positions before. And every time she’d asked those she spoke with why she should save them, they all whined, begged and pleaded to be saved. All of them spouted that they had so much to live for. Family, friends, careers, the list was endless. Faith, however, was the first mortal ever to stand before her and tell her that there was literally no reason that she should continue living. Yes, she had friends and loved ones that would mourn her passing, but…Faith didn’t see that as a reason. She had no desire to die, but she’d already accepted it as a possibility years ago. Every day she’s lived since being called has been a blessing and the girl knew that blessings never lasted. “You are an enigma.”

“Okay.” Faith said. “Why?”

“Because humans, as a species fear death. They fear it so fervently that they endeavor to look younger than they are, pretend to be younger than they are, all in hopes of fooling themselves into thinking they  _are_  younger than they are. But you…” She shook her head. “You don’t. Death doesn’t scare you. Not at all.”

“I’ve been ready to die for a long time.” Faith said. “Part and parcel with being a slayer, I guess. I mean, I enjoy living and would very much like to continue doing it, but…I don’t beg. You wanna save me, that’s on you. You wanna let me go and give another girl a chance at the plate there’s nothing I can do about that. Ball’s in your court, your grace.”

Titania smiled. “You’ve convinced me. I’m going to help you. I will keep you from death’s grasp. I can do nothing about the toxin that flows, but I can see to it that it does not shuffle you to the afterlife.”

“Why are you saving me?” Faith asked.

“Given all that you’ve said and revealed to me, I get to ask this question.” She chuckled. “What do you care? You left it up to me, remember?”

“Prying would be looking the gift horse right in the kisser, wouldn’t it?” Faith asked her, smiling.

“More or less.” Titania pulled the girl in. “Wake up, Faith.” She said, planting her soft lips to those of the much shorter brunette.

Faith awoke with a start. The hospital room she was in was dimly lit. She was hooked to a heart monitor. She looked out the window and saw that it was dark outside. She relaxed against the bed and sighed heavily. She lifted her hands and flexed her fists. Her knuckles cracked in response. She could tell that whatever shit Dawnbot has injected into her was still in her system. She felt sluggish and weak. But she was alive. That was the important thing. She’d deal with the rest later.

She moved the sheet aside and lifted her hospital gown, looking at the wound on her side. It was bruised a bit and a little sore to the touch, but it wasn’t the grotesque mass it was a day earlier. Satisfied that she was in the clear, she lifted the call button and depressed it.

A nurse came into the room a couple of minutes later. She was an average looking woman that was just pushing her mid-forties. “You’re awake.” She said, happily. “How are you feeling, dear?” She asked, moving over to the bed and checking her over.

“Just wondering if I might be able to get out of here.” Faith said. She hated hospitals and she didn’t see that hatred lessening any time soon.

“Let me get the doctor in here and see what he says, okay sweetie?” She poured a glass of water from the pitcher on the bedside table. “Here. You sound a bit hoarse.”

“Thanks.” Faith said, taking the glass. She sipped at it, coughing a little as she waited for the doctor.

Five minutes later, his familiar face came in through the door. “Good to see you with us.” He said with a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Little sluggish.” Faith said. “Figuring that’ll pass in a while.”

He looked at the wound and nodded. “This is looking much better.” He poked and prodded it. “Does it hurt when I do this?”

“A bit, yeah.” Faith offered. Her muscles tightened involuntarily.

“Scale of one to ten, one being barely felt, ten being worst you’ve ever felt?”

“One and a half, two.” Faith said.

He looked at her. “Three, maybe four?” He asked, his eyebrow raised.

“I have a high pain threshold doc. I’m being serious. Worst pain I’ve ever felt, that shit doesn’t even rate.”

“Fair enough. I’ll take your word for it.” He said. “Muscles are gonna be tender for a bit. Not sure how you did it. Normally necrotic tissue doesn’t regenerate.”

“Necrotic? What do you mean?” She asked.

“Whatever you were infected with began immediately producing symptoms of necrosis. Like brown recluse spider venom on steroids.” He inspected the wound again. “But it seems to have healed and regenerated the tissue.” He looked at her. “You’re a slayer. I know. This kind of healing is supposedly part of your gifts.”

“How did you know?” Faith asked him.

“Been around the block a few times.” He said, smiling. “And when you’re married to the queen of the fey’s daughter, you tend to have an inside line to the supernatural.”

“You were the one that convinced Titania to check me out.”

He shook his head. “That would be my wife. She holds a lot more sway with her mother than I do.”

“Was mom glad that her baby married a human type?” Faith asked.

“Well, she hasn’t turned me into a frog or anything. I call that a win.” He said. He gave her a thorough once over. “It looks like you’re out of the woods. You’ve still got to metabolize whatever was in that cocktail you were injected with. That might take a few days. Even for you.”

“Supposedly it was something that was supposed to remove the slayer abilities.” Faith said. “It’s definitely doing its job.”

“I don’t see why you can’t go home. Just take it easy if you can. I’ve got something that might help with the fatigue and sluggishness. It won’t make you a hundred percent, but it should take the edge off.” He lifted a bag and set it on the bed. “Some of your friends brought you clothes. Go ahead and get changed. I’ll get that medication for you and let them know you’re awake.”

Faith changed and was pulling her boots on when Tara, Willow, and Giles came into the room. Both Willow and Tara pulled her in, giving her a hug. “How are you feeling?” Giles asked after the trio came up for air.

“Like I just pulled an all-night slaying marathon.” Faith offered. “Sore as hell and lethargic as shit.”

He nodded. “Buffy was much the same when she faced her Cruciamentum.” He still carried a bit of guilt for having to administer the test.”

Faith reached over and patted his shoulder. “You were doing what you were supposed to, Tweed. Yeah, she was pissed, but B forgave you, didn’t she?”

He looked at her and smiled. “In time, yes she did.” He turned as the doctor stepped into the room. “Thank you for taking such good care of her, James.”

“It was nothing, Rupert.” He handed the man the bottle. “Have her take one of these every twelve hours for the next three days. It should fend off her listlessness and get a bit closer to fighting weight. As I said to her, it won’t make her a hundred percent, but it should make her feel a bit better.”

“Does your wife know you’re giving us these?” Giles said, looking at the small bottle.

“It was her idea. She’s been watching Faith here for a while. She knows that despite my instructions, she’ll insist on going out and fighting the good fight, slayer abilities or not. So the closer we can get to that, the better.”

“Th-thank you, doctor,” Tara said, hugging him.

“We really do appreciate it,” Willow said.

He returned the girl’s hugs, smiling. “It was my pleasure, ladies. I’m not going to do her the indignity of making her having to leave in a wheelchair. As long as she doesn’t fall on her face, I’m okay with her walking out of here.”

Faith hopped down off the bed and nodded. “A little shaky, but I’m okay.” She pointed to the pills. “What’s that?”

“Fey magic.” The doctor said. “Very secretive. Very powerful.”

She raised an eyebrow and snatched the bottle and looked inside. She slowly looked back at him. “This is Etoricoxib.”

“Tell no one.” He said, seriously.

She shook her head and handed the bottle back to Giles. “Uh huh.”

They left the hospital and walked out into the parking lot. Faith was able to move just fine after she walked a few steps. “Any movement since last night?” She asked.

Willow turned to speak with her, but never got the chance before she was lifted from her feet and thrown across the parking lot to slam into the side of a car with enough force to dent the body panels and shatter the windows. She slumped to the ground and didn’t move. Tara whipped around but faced a similar fate. She bounced across the top of the same car to come to a rolling stop behind it.

It happened so fast that both Faith and Giles were stricken dumb. Out of the shadows… walked Willow and Tara. They were holding hands tightly and had their palms out facing their doubles. “We had standing orders with the hospital to call the house if you woke up,” Willow said.

“The n-nurse said that there was a blonde and a redhead waiting for you in the lobby with an elder British Gentleman,” Tara said. “We knew who it was.”

“I’m really Giles.” He said, putting his hands up and backing away. “I’m dating Olivia. I-I once had a fling with Buffy’s mother.”

Faith, Willow, and Tara stared at him, shock on their faces. “Seriously?” Faith asked.

“Buffy never told us that,” Willow said.

“W-W-Warren w-wouldn’t have known that,” Tara said, convinced that Giles was who he claimed to be.

Faith moved to him, pulling the pill bottle out of his jacket pocket. She opened and took one into her mouth, crunching it up and swallowing it. “I need everything I can get.” She said as she saw the redhead and blonde imposters rising to their feet.

Tarabot hopped up and landed on top of the car, concaving the roof further. She was grinning widely. “You should have died when you had the chance.” She dropped to the ground beside the Willowbot. “Now we have to make it painful for you.”

Faith rolled her head about on her neck. “You can try.” She lifted her fists. “Bring it on.”

“I don’t think so, Faith,” Giles said, wrapping his arms around her waist and carrying her off.

“Goddammit, Tweed. Put me back down.” Faith said, struggling. She couldn’t break free of his grasp…which is precisely the point he was trying to convey.

“You’d get killed, Faith. Those aren’t vampires. They’re robots. You can’t beat them into unconsciousness.” He pulled the door open on his Mercedes and tossed her in on the passenger side. “This is Willow and Tara’s fight.” He climbed behind the wheel and fired the car up.

“We can’t just leave them here.” Faith said, looking back.

The pair were forced to split up. Willow had her hands out toward her mechanical double. The bot was staggered back as bolts of energy slammed into her. Tara was standing with her hands likewise forward, while her doppelganger pounded relentlessly on some form of shield. Faith could see each impact as though it was a stone hitting water. Ripples ran through the magical field. Tara was biting her lip, concentrating.

“You don’t understand, Tweed. They’re gonna get tired.” Faith said. “That kind of magic takes its toll.” She wanted desperately to get out of the car and help, but she knew the truth. Right now, in the state she was in, she wouldn’t do any good.

Giles pointed ahead. “That’s why we’ve already taken the liberty of calling in backup.”

Faith looked and saw what he meant. The old school Harley and the silver Honda Goldwing ripped past. Spike and Buffybot were both stone-faced. They gave the pair a nod as they sped past. “Turn around.” Faith said. “I have to see this.”

Giles sighed and gripped the emergency brake, throwing the car into a skid. He turned and took off after the bikes.

“I’ll take Goldilocks,” Buffybot said, sliding to a stop. “Only room in this town for one blonde robot.”

“Always had a thing for redheads,” Spike said, happily.

The bot and vampire leapt from their bikes and ran at the mechanized foot soldiers together. They both impacted at the same time, spearing both of them to the ground.

Tara and Willow breathed a sigh of relief and backed away, letting their superpowered protectors take it from there.

Buffy lifted the Tarabot from the ground and spun, hurling her into a light post, warping it horribly. The robot shook it off and ran back at her, attempting to likewise tackle her to the ground. Buffybot side-stepped gripped her hair and her pants and turned about, chucking her into the same light pole, causing it to fall over, crashing down into the parking lot, crushing a minivan beneath its awesome weight.

The metal of the post itself had bent, trapping the Tarabot’s arm in the kink that was created, holding it fast.

Undeterred, Tarabot pulled and heaved, tearing her own left arm off at the shoulder, before rising and glaring at her. “You’ll have to do a lot better than that.”

Buffybot nodded. “Not a problem.” They ran at each other at full speed. The Tarabot shifted left, drawing her fist back. Buffybot leapt at the last minute, wrapping her arm about the robot’s head as she did so. Her own momentum coupled with that of the charging mechani-Tara tore the bot’s head clean off. The body of the machine still tried to attack her. Buffybot caught the robot’s fist as Tarabot tried to punch her. She crushed the fist in her hand, causing it to whine and spark. She then pulled as she kicked the machine in the chest. The arm tore free of the torso in a hail of sparks. She used the appendage like a club and beat the robot into the ground. Finally, the bot stopped moving. Buffybot tossed the smashed limb on top of the mangled wreckage. “Looks like you’re the one wearing fur pajamas and riding a hot potato.” She said, nodding.

Spike met the Willowbot fist to fist. He quickly learned that was a bad idea. His fists were falling more rapidly than hers, but they weren’t doing any kind of damage. She, on the other hand, was pounding him rotten. He could feel pain. She couldn’t. “Alright.” He said, stepping back. “New plan.” He lunged at her legs, taking them from beneath her.

As Willowbot hit the asphalt, Spike turned and jumped on her back. He took hold of her hair with both hands and began smashing the robot’s face into the ground again and again.

“That is really disturbing,” Willow said. “I’m getting nauseous.”

“It’s nothing personal, Glinda,” Spike said. The robot tried to get to her hands and knees. He pulled her arms from beneath her, dropping her back to the ground and continued to smash her metal skull upon the concrete. “Just break, will you?”

The metal finally began to buckle and warp under his onslaught. He then wrapped his arm around the robot’s head and wrenched it free in a hail of sparks and cracking of metal and wires.

Faith watched the fight and cheered the pair on. “Come on, Spike. You can take her.”

Buffybot had finished with her opponent and moved over. “Need a hand?” She’d somehow managed to set Tarabot aflame.

“No,” Spike said, throwing the android’s head over onto the pile of burning parts. “I’ve just got to…” He pulled, tearing off the robot’s arm. “Just got to break it down before recycling. You know me.” He said, struggling to get the bot’s other arm off. “Environment – oh come on, you bloody wanker,  _oof!_ ” The arm came off in a screech of metal. He tossed it over his shoulder. “Environmentally conscious and all that.”

Willow and Tara turned to see Faith approaching. They pulled her in and kissed her intently.

Buffybot and Spike, having finished with their robotic rivals, made their way over. “Willow called us. Said that when you got out of the hospital, you weren’t going to be up to fighting weight for a while. I’ve put in for the week off at the restaurant. Told them it was a family emergency.”

Faith hugged her. “Glad you could make it.” She then gave Spike a hug. “Nice work.”

“Let’s get outta here,” Buffybot said, looking at the burning piles of debris. “It’s starting to smell like burning failure out here.”

“Something Warren should be used to smelling by now,” Giles said snickering.

 


	79. Chapter 79

 

Faith sighed as she struggled to lift the heavy box of books. “Christ.” She growled to herself. If she’d had her slayer strength, she’d have been able to carry it without an issue. It had been four days since she’d been stripped of her slayer powers. She’d gotten over the sluggishness and fatigue, but she was still left with a permeating  _weakness_.

She’d found that, despite not being a slayer, she was still incredibly strong and fast. She’d sparred with Giles last night and had still planted his ass like corn. She was even able to hold her own against both Xander and Justine. Given that she knew both had incredible chops, that was no mean feat.

But still, she wasn’t a slayer any longer. She carried the box across the store and set it on the counter of the magic shop. Since she’d come home from the hospital, she’d been doing everything she could to be useful. She was doing the lion’s share of the cooking, all of the cleaning and even did all the laundry.

Everyone in the house had noticed her melancholy and had gone to great lengths to cheer her up. She appreciated all their efforts, but it was for naught. She wouldn’t feel better until she got her powers back. Until then, she just felt… _useless_.

Suddenly her cell phone rang. She pulled it out and saw that it was her boss, Tony. “Hey, Tony. You get my message?” She asked, taking a seat at the table. Giles and Anya looked at her and turned back to their business.

“Yeah. So what’s going on? Harris told me you were in the hospital. You doin’ alright?” He asked, genuine concern in his voice.

“I’m okay. Just not myself right now.”

“He said something about you not having all that muscle you were walking around with. What’s with that?”

“I’m not Supergirl anymore. I’m not gonna be able to come in until I’m back up to par.” Faith said, rubbing her face with her hand. “I wouldn’t do you guys much good as I am right now.”

“Sounds like bullshit to me. Your arms and legs still work?” He asked her. He could sense that she was feeling down in the dumps.

“Well yeah, but…”

He cut her off. “Then you ain’t no worse off than the rest of the boys. You’ve already bailed on me the past two days. I need you in today, Lehane.” He said, matter of fact.

“I wish I could, Tone. But right now I’m not feelin’…”

“So you’re not Wonder Woman right now. Big fuckin’ deal. Then you just have to work hard and normal like the rest of us mere mortals.” Tony said.

“Look. I’m not…”

“I got a ton of shit needing done around here. Just because you can’t juggle dump trucks don’t mean you’re useless. You’re still forklift certified, ain’t ya? Get your ass in here, Faith.”

“Tony, I…”

“Let me put it to you this way.” He hated being this stern with her, especially given what Xander and said about what she’d been through. But the boy also said that she really needed something to take her mind off how bad things were. “You don’t get your brunette headed ass down to the site in the next twenty minutes, you’re gonna be lookin’ for a new job.”

“You serious?”

“I need warm bodies, Lehane. You can drive a forklift, you can run a pallet jack. You know how to use a hammer and nails. Just because you aren’t chucking around girders doesn’t mean I can’t put you to work somewhere else.” He sighed. “We’re falling behind, Faith. I need you today. I’ll slap you in the forklift or something. But I gotta have you in here today.”

She nodded. “I’m on my way. Let me drop by the house and get my gear.”

“I do appreciate it. I know you’re not feeling a hundred percent. But at the risk of sounding like an ass, welcome to the human race.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She said, smiling. “I’ll be there in a few.” She ended the call and rose to her feet. “I gotta go, Tweed.”

“Who was that?” He asked her.

“My boss, Tony. He said I’m coming in today whether I like it or not.” Faith offered. “He says just because I’m not Supergirl, doesn’t mean I can’t do my job.”

“He’s right, you know. You’re more than just a slayer.” Giles said, softly.

“So everyone keeps telling me.” Faith said. Part of her was upset because not a single one of them could know what she was going through, how she felt. Before she had become a slayer, she was nothing. She was stuck in a situation that she knew she would never get out of. Her mother was a waste of life, her home was a shithole and her life was a slow downward spiral that would inevitably lead to her ending up like her mother or worse.

Then Diana Dormer came into her life. Explained what she was and what she could be called upon to be. She didn’t buy most of it, but after a stint in a mental institution, she got taken from her shit life and thrown headlong into a war that she never knew as raging. When she got called it was the singular most important moment of her life. Once she knew what had happened, it became all she had ever wanted. To  _matter_. And matter she did. She was one of two in the world that had her gifts. She could definitely live with that.

Now that was all gone and all she was left with was a sense of emptiness. She didn’t like it one damn bit. From what Giles and Willow had said, the effects of the compound should be wearing off in another few days. Buffy had been without her powers for about a week before they slowly returned over the course of a couple of days. Something told her that Warren and his hags weren’t going to wait that long. She’d been walking around scared ever since she’d gotten out of the hospital. And that pissed her off. She was being reminded of being hunted down by Kakistos. And that  _really_  pissed her off.

She left the shop and drove home, picking up her hat, gloves and packing herself a quick lunch. It was just after nine in the morning. She left the house and drove to the construction site. True to his word, Tony stuck her in a forklift and had her moving pallets of material around the yard. It wasn’t the kind of work she normally did, but it got things done and his complete lack of sympathy…actually made her feel better. By assigning her to all the grunt work, he made her feel useful. And that went a long way. After an hour or two, she was whistling and enjoying herself again.

 

Andrew sat on the sofa flipping through the channels trying to find something to watch. Faith and company had been incredibly nice and had put down the money to get both him and Jonathan into a small one bedroom studio apartment. It was small, but it was home.

Jonathan sat at the computer on the other side of the room, surfing the internet. The boys both currently worked part-time at a bookstore in downtown Sunnydale. Together they made enough to afford the rent and bills for the apartment and still had a little money left over. Things were actually going quite well for the pair. “What are you doing?” Andrew asked, looking over his shoulder at his roommate.

“Trying to see if I can find a way to restore Faith’s slayer powers,” Jonathan said. “If we manage to do that, she’ll owe us one.”

“If Giles, Willow, and Tara can’t figure it out, what do you think you’re gonna be able to do? They’re like, way more powerful than you.” Andrew said.

“Shut up, you penis.” Jonathan snapped. “Maybe I’ll be able to think of something they don’t.”

“Fat chance of that,” Andrew said, going back to the TV. “If it exists, they thought of it. They’re that smart.”

Jonathan glared at him and turned back to the screen.

A sharp knock on the door startled the pair of them. They looked at each other fearfully. Andrew got up and moved over to the door, lifting the baseball bat that sat beside it. He looked out through the peephole to see Cordelia Chase standing in the hallway. He slowly unlocked the door and opened a crack. “Cordelia?” He asked, somewhat shocked.

“Last time I checked.” She said, staring at him with a raised eyebrow. She waited a moment. “You gonna just stand there?”

“What do you want?” He asked her.

“I need to talk to you.” She said. “Both of you. Willow and Tara sent me.”

“I thought you were in Los Angeles,” Andrew said, stepping aside, allowing her in.

“I was. Now I’m not. Faith, being as stubborn as she is, won’t accept help. But Willow and Tara are the brains of the operation.” She said, entering the apartment. She closed the door behind her and locked it. “They let us in LA know that there was a problem.”

Andrew was shocked. “So…why did they send you to talk to us?”

She gave him a bright smile. “You two should really know better.” She said, she walked around the sofa to Jonathan. “It’s been a long time.” She gripped his shirt and pulled him in, kissing him intently. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

Andrew watched the pair and was completely taken aback. Cordelia was easily the prettiest woman ever to come out of Sunnydale. When Jonathan had said that he dated her, Andrew didn’t believe him. Now, he could see the boy was telling the truth. “Wow.” He said, smiling. “Lucky SOB.”

She pulled away from him and stepped back, staring into his eyes. She cupped his face in her hands. “You’re still one hell of a kisser.” She said, smiling. “But you’re really no use anymore. And even as pathetic a magic user as you are, you could really complicate things.” In a lightning fast maneuver, she twisted his head, snapping his neck brutally. She held him aloft for a moment, watching the life drain from his eyes. “So, you die.” She dropped him to the floor and slowly turned a sinister smile to Andrew.

He stood, vapor locked. She sensually strutted over to him. “You…you killed him,” Andrew said, stunned. “Why did you do that?”

“I already explained that. He wasn’t useful to me or Warren. But with what little magic he did know, he could be a complication. But you, Andrew. You _are_  useful.” She stepped up to him. “And as long as you remain that way, you live. See how this works?”

“Wh-wh-why are you working with Warren?”

“Because I owe him everything. He’s the one that brought me to life.”

“Wh-wh-what are you?” He asked, terrified.

“Perfection,” Cordy said. “I’m what years of work looks like.”

“What are you going to do to me?” He asked, trying to move away from her.

Her hand shot out, taking his throat. “As long as you don’t give me any trouble?” She shook her head. “Nothing. But if you give me lip…” She pulled him in closer, less than an inch between them. “I’ll rip it off. Now be a good boy and follow me.” She said, dragging him from the apartment. Andrew cast one last look at Jonathan and couldn’t help but let out a strangled sob.

Cordy moved down the stairs and came to the street. They moved over to the old Ford Ranchero. Since being in Sunnydale, Faith had been working with both him and Jonathan to get the beast back up to snuff. The first thing she’d done for them was rebuild the motor. It was old, but still had plenty of life left in it. The body was a dingy tan when they’d first come back. Now it sat as a primer gray, ready for paint. Andrew swallowed as he looked at it. He and Jonathan were still trying to agree on a color. “Keys.” She said, holding her hand out.

Andrew pulled them from his pocket and handed them to her. “Where are you taking me?”

“I think you already know the answer to that, Andrew,” Cordy said as she moved around to the driver’s side door of the old Ranchero. “Get in.”

He did as he was told. She fired the car up and roasted the tires off as she pulled away from the apartment building. Cordelia drove along, speeding toward the north side of town. A few minutes later, she stopped at a large old and somewhat creepy looking mansion. “Here we are.” She looked at him. “Get out.”

He nodded and stepped out, looking the building over. “Who lives here?” He asked, curiously.

“No one, currently. That’s why Warren took it over. Apparently, it used to belong to Angel.” Cordelia said. “Come on.”

“Why did you bring me to Angel’s mansion?” Andrew asked, not budging.

“Because Warren told me to.” She said, moving around the car to him. “What more reason do I need than that?”

“Why does Warren want me?” He asked.

“Don’t make me drag in you in there,” Cordy said, simply.

He turned and tried to run away from her. He made it exactly three steps before her hand clutched his hair. “I told you not to make me do this.” She said, turning and walking into the house, with him stumbling along behind her.

“Alright, alright. Ow.” He said, trying to pry her hand off of his head. They made it inside and Cordy pushed him to the floor. “Ow, that hurt.”

“Oh, quit your whining,” Warren said, from the shadows of the room.

Andrew looked up to see his former partner emerge from the darkness. Amy and Drusilla flanked him. “W-Warren.” He said, falling back on his butt.

“Good to see you again, pal.” The vampire said, smiling. “How’ve you been doing?”

“What do you want?” Andrew asked, feebly.

“The slayer is no longer a factor. Now she’s just a helpless little girl. But our window is small. They’ve already taken out four of my robots. Cordelia here is the last one I’ve got.” He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. “Granted, she’s by far my finest work. I’ve been designing her since I was in my freshman year.”

“Then why build April?” Andrew asked. “If you could have Cordelia, why build something that isn’t her?”

“Because April was just a test bed. Just to see if I could.” He ran his hands up Cordelia’s soft arms. “Her, I wanted to be perfect. And she is. I’ve made the finishing touches over the last few days. You see, the others were imperfect. But Cordelia here?” He touched her hair. “She’s a perfect image of Miss Chase. Her hair is an exact match. Cloned, by the way. Even her fingerprints are Cordelia’s. Her synthetic skin even has Cordelia’s DNA profiles. She’s got a reinforced titanium alloy endoskeleton, high capacity hydraulics, and fiber-optic electric reflexes.” He grinned. “She’s more than a match for your blonde toy.”

“You never told me what you wanted from me,” Andrew said. “If you’ve got her and them, you don’t need someone like me.”

“Oh, that’s where you’re wrong, Andy-wandy. See, you got a gift. A rather good one, I might add.” He moved over to the boy. “I need you to play me a tune.”

“What do you mean?” Andrew asked him.

“I need you to croon old TV Themes. What do you think I mean? I need demons. Lots of ‘em.”

“I’m not summoning anything for you. I’m not gonna betray Faith.” Andrew said, sternly. “I’d rather die.”

“I’d rather you didn’t,” Warren said. “No matter.” He turned away from the boy. “Drusilla, you’re up. We need him cooperative.”

The raven-haired vampire glided up to him. “Miss Edith doesn’t like it when the boys don’t play.” She said, looking Andrew in the eyes. “Look at me, pretty boy.”

Andrew closed his eyes and turned his head away. “No.”

Drusilla gripped his chin and whispered into his ear. “Look at me, or I’ll make you part of the family. Then you’ll have to listen to us.”

Andrew sighed heavily. “Fine.” He said. He turned and glared into her eyes. “But you’re going to learn something, you Catherine Zeta-Jones wannabe.”

Drusilla smiled and drew him in, looking to dominate him. She dove into his mind…and found nothing but impenetrable walls of stone, steel, and fire. His mental defenses, his sheer force of  _will_  was beyond anything she’d ever seen. The recoil of her psychic power deflecting off of his mind’s shields, caused her to literally flinch.

Warren was there to catch her. “What’s wrong?” He asked her.

“He’s strong,” Drusilla said, shaking her head. “I can’t get in.”

“I summon demons, you crazy undead vacuum cleaner. I have to be mentally strong enough to control them.” Andrew said, proudly.

Warren took Dru over and set her down on the sofa. He stared at her a moment. “It looks like we do this the old-fashioned way.” He looked to Amy. “Turn him.”

“My pleasure.” The chestnut haired girl said, moving toward him. “This is gonna be good.”

Andrew actually laughed. “That won’t work.” He said. “Not unless you wanna have to fight with everything I summon.”

Amy stopped and raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”

“If you turn me into a vampire, I won’t be able to control the beasts I summon. Because I’ll be dead. It won’t be me. It’ll be a demon in residence. He’ll have my abilities, true, but he won’t have my willpower. He won’t have my control.” He chuckled again. “And more than that, demons and vampires really don’t get along.”

Amy turned to look at Warren. “Is he for real?”

Warren looked at him. He stepped over and gripped Andrew by the throat. “You screwin’ with me?”

Andrew shook his head. “No.” He croaked. “I’ve researched it. There was a time when I wanted to be a vampire. I was tired of being a loser. I looked into it. You can, too. Chain me up and do the research. You’ll see that I’m right.”

Warren growled and threw him to the ground. “Dammit. I can’t tell if he’s lying.” He looked at the girls. “We need another game plan.”

“What do we do with him?” Amy asked. “I remember him checkin’ me out in high school.”

“As big a loser as he was in high school, he was checking out the tagger art and getting a hard-on,” Warren said. “You and Drusilla do what you want with him. Cordelia and I are going on a recruitment drive.” With that, he grabbed the heavy black motorcycle helmet off of the mantle and dropped it over his head. He stepped outside with Cordelia right behind him.

Drusilla and Amy watched him leave and turned toward Andrew. Amy reached down and grabbed his shirt, lifting him from the floor. “Today’s your lucky day, pipsqueak.”

“What are you gonna do with me?” He asked, terrified.

The pair didn’t say another word. They dragged him into the bedroom and threw him on the bed. “Relax. You’ll still be breathing by the end of the day.” Amy said, turning toward Drusilla. She cast a sideways glance at him. “You just won’t be able to walk for shit.” She then plundered the black-haired beauty’s mouth.

Andrew had to admit. If he was gonna die, he was getting one hell of a show beforehand. When the pair were finished making out, they both turned their attention to him. He was thoroughly confused. But as they stripped their clothing off and subsequently removed his, he didn’t really give a damn how confusing things were.

The pair took turns biting and drinking from him as they fucked him senseless. They did, however, leave him conscious. He was spent and extremely tired, but otherwise none the worse for wear.

“Time to go, boy toy,” Amy said as she and Drusilla rose from the bed. “Get out.”

“What?” He asked, confused as hell. “You’re letting me leave?”

“Warren said to do what we wanted with you,” Drusilla said, smiling. “This is what we wanted to do.”

“Won’t he be mad that you let me go?” Andrew asked.

“Oh, he’s gonna be pissed,” Amy said, pulling her pants on. “But that’s the fun. We love pissing him off.”

“Why?” Andrew asked as he began pulling his clothes on.

“Because he’s a domineering shit hole,” Amy said.

“He thinks he’s in charge,” Drusilla said. “Miss Edith doesn’t like it when he thinks that.”

He listened to them and realized that Warren suddenly had an Achilles heel. “You two wouldn’t risk your lives for him, would you?”

“Fuck no,” Amy said. “Don’t get me wrong, we’re almost as angry with you lot as we are with him.” She grinned. “Almost.”

“Run home, baby boy. Run home and tell the big bad slayer what Warren has in store.” Drusilla said. “But hurry. Time falls like sand.”

Andrew staggered free of the bedroom and made it to the Ford. He climbed behind the wheel to see the keys were still in it. He fired it up and quickly sped away.

“He’s going to be angry,” Drusilla said, chuckling.

“Yeah, he is,” Amy said. “But that’s perfectly fine with me.”

 

Cordelia pulled up to the bar and stopped the massive armored truck. “What are we doing here?”

“Recruiting,” Warren said. “We’re going to be fighting a war. We need an army.” He strolled into Willy’s and pulled his helmet off, looking around. It was filled with plenty of unsavory types. “Perfect.” He said, stepping up to the bar. “A glass of O positive, please. Add a little Cayenne pepper, if you would.”

Willy looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Haven’t I seen you in here before?”

“Maybe,” Warren said. “But I was so much older then. I’m younger than that now.”

“Looks good on you.” The barkeep said, pouring a glass full of blood. He tapped a bit of the pepper into it and slid it over to him. “Three fifty.”

Warren put a five on the counter and sipped the blood. “Not bad.” He said. “Mind if I make an announcement?”

“Knock yourself out,” Willy said as he eyed the shapely brunette beside him. She walked with a leonine grace and looked incredibly dangerous.

“Pardon me, gentlemen…and I use the term loosely. I’m Warren. I’m the new big deal around here.”

“I’ve heard that you been getting your ass kicked by Spikes girlfriend all over town.” A large vampire offered. “Word on the street is she ran your ass out on a rail.”

Warren sighed and walked up to him. “That a fact?”

The vampire stood and towered over him. “Yeah. That’s a fact.”

The boy nodded. “Okay.” He turned to Cordelia. “Sweetie?”

The brunette snatched the vampire by the throat and pushed him backward over the table. He struggled, but it did him no good. She pulled a stake out of her jacket and plunged it into his heart, dusting him quickly.

Warren looked at everyone in the room. “Do I have everyone’s attention?” They continued to stare. “Good. Now, I’m looking for volunteers that are willing to kill someone that’s been a pain in  _all_  of our asses…”

Neither he nor his femme fatale noticed the blonde vampire in the leather jacket watching them both from the back room of the bar. He took a drag off his cigarette and dropped it, grinding it from beneath his boot heel. Spike listened to Warren spill the beans that Faith wasn’t of proper form.

He slipped away and made for the sewers. The group needed to know. Warren wanted to move tonight. That didn’t leave much time.

 


	80. Chapter 80

 

For the first time in Faith Lehane’s life, she feared the coming of night. As she sat on the sofa, she looked down at her hands. She couldn’t stop them from shaking. She was afraid…and the feeling was really pissing her off. She’d only been this terrified once. When she’d lost her Watcher, Diana. She couldn’t help but remember that night, four years ago. Then, as now, she was overcome with a sense of utter helplessness. She couldn’t protect Diana. And now, because of Warren, she couldn’t protect her friends, her family. Yes, she was still a very capable fighter and could handle a vampire one on one, but from what Spike had said, they weren’t going to be fighting just one vampire. By now, every vampire in the city would know that Faith was without her powers.

And when the sun slipped from the sky, they would be coming for her. And they’d steamroll over anyone that got in their way.

Tara and Willow were both moving about the house, casting protection spells, one on top of another. Amy had somehow gotten stronger in the magic department since being turned. Giles, Willow, and Tara all explained that it was about control, or more importantly a lack thereof. When using magic, the caster had to open themselves to the primal magical force of the world around them. Human mages always kept a part of themselves closed off to keep safe from being overrun with the power. The stronger you were, the more of yourself you could open up, and as a byproduct, draw upon more power.

With vampires, they didn’t have the fear of being overcome by the power. In fact, the demon within reveled in it. Being of stronger will than your average human, they could do more with the power they were given.

Or something like that. The three magic users’ explanations were longer, filled with more five-dollar words and infinitely more boring, but that was what Faith took away from it.

Reluctantly, Dawn had agreed to take Faith’s car and drive herself, Daniel, Anya, Olivia, and Kit to LA to hole up with Angel and company until they got the all clear. Angel had wanted desperately to come up to help, but Faith declined. If none of them made it, he had to be second wave. Warren wasn’t going to stop with Faith. If he took her out, he’d get cocky and want to come after Dawn for challenging his supposed supremacy.

Spike tugged on the neck of his body armor. He never really considered wearing it before. When Xander told him to put it on and immediately tried to stake him, the blonde vampire changed his tune. He sighed and watched the sun from the large bay window in the front of the house. It was just barely above the horizon.

Giles and Xander both paced the living room, crossbows in their hands. They checked and rechecked the equipment to make certain that they were functioning properly. They were both on edge.

Buffybot stood at the archway between the kitchen and living room, keeping an eye on the back door.

Justine trotted down the stairs and pulled her smokes from her pocket. She pulled out two, lit them and handed one to Spike. “The girls are almost done upstairs.” She said, taking a drag.

“Could I…can I bother you for one of those?” Giles asked her.

She smiled at him and flipped one out of the pack. As he took it, she offered him her Zippo. “Feelin’ a little twitchy, Tweed?” Justine asked him.

“A bit.” He said, taking a long drag off of the cigarette. “I just wish he’d hurry on with it.”

A sudden sharp knock sounded from the door. Spike moved over and gripped the knob, looking back at Giles and Xander. Both of them aimed the crossbows and nodded. He snatched the door open.

Andrew stumbled in and collapsed on the floor. He was pale as could be and perspiring like mad. Spike slammed the door as Faith and Justine helped him to his feet and over to the couch. “I’m sorry for coming here. I had to warn you.”

“That’s alright.” Faith said, sitting next to him. “You look like hell. What happened to you?”

“Drusilla and Amy.” He said, turning to show her his neck. “They fed off of me, then let me go.”

“Why didn’t they kill you?” Giles asked.

“Gotta agree with Giles, here. That doesn’t sound like Dru at all.” Spike said.

“They’re mad at Warren. He thinks he’s in charge. They undermined him by letting me go.” He shook his head. “Warren’s crazy. He’s recruiting vampires.”

“We know.” Faith said. “Spike was in Willy’s when Warren and his Cordybot came in looking for goons.”

“You gotta be careful. His Cordelia robot is different than the others. She’s something he’s been working on for years. Perfecting her. April and the others…they were just test beds.” He looked at Buffybot. “According to him, she’s his crowning achievement.”

Willow stepped up beside the blonde android. “And Buffy here is ours.”

Spike turned to the window and saw that it was now dark. “Not long now.”

As if on cue, the sound of  _Preliator_ by Globus erupted from outside. Everyone turned to the window. Tara and Willow both moved to the curtain and pulled it aside. At first, they saw nothing. Then, slowly a crowd began to gather. Vampires, dozens of them filled the front lawn. “W-w-w-w-we’ve got company.” Tara offered, fear in her voice.

“There’s a lot of vampires out there,” Willow said.

“I’m going out there.” Faith said, rising to her feet. Guilt welled up within her. She had to spare all of them this, if there was a chance, she felt she had to take it. She owed all of them that much. “It’s me he wants. If I give myself up, he might…”

“No,” Willow said, looking at her. Everyone else closed in around her. “It wouldn’t make a difference.”

“He wants all of us dead,” Xander said. “He isn’t going to stop at just you. Alive, he was a persistent little snot. I’m betting a shiny nickel being dead hasn’t changed that.”

“He’s right, slayer. He’d take your head and move on to the rest of us. You know that.” Spike said. “We’re all family here. He wants one of us, he’s got to get through all of us.”

“I agree with Spike,” Giles said. “We’re in this together.”

The music got louder. Justine looked through the window on the front door. “Shit!” She said turning from the door. “Everyone get back!” She shouted, running for the back of the house.

A heartbeat later, the front door and surrounding wall were smashed to bits as the large armored truck slammed into the house.

Dust and debris choked the room. Pieces of the ceiling came down. Faith had grabbed Justine, Tara, and Willow and tossed them under the dining room table at the last minute. Buffybot and Spike had shoved Xander and Giles into the kitchen. Andrew managed to roll backward, pulling the sofa over on top of himself.

“Knock, knock.” Cordelia’s cheerful voice called from the living room. “Anybody home?”

Buffybot immediately moved to the front room, glaring at the robot. “Don’t you know it’s rude to come into someone’s house uninvited?”

“I was wondering when I’d finally get to meet you,” Cordybot said, moving closer to the blonde android. “You did a pretty good job of scrapping Warren’s other toys.” She shook her head. “But I’m made of sterner stuff.”

“Yeah, you’re Cordelia alright. Always thinking you’re better than everyone else.” Buffybot said, closing the distance. “All she ever did was talk.”

“Then maybe I should shut up…” Cordy said, grinning. Her fist quickly slammed into Buffybot’s chest, hurling her back into the kitchen and through the back door. “And get on with it.”

The blonde bot hit the back porch and bounced down the stairs, rolling along the lawn. She landed on her back and faced the sky. She quickly performed a self-diagnostic. The plating about her chest had absorbed most of the damage, but she was still suffering a minor power fluctuation. She rerouted her power through her secondary systems and rose to her feet. She turned and rushed back into the house.

Spike watched Buffy sail past and crash through the door. He raced toward the Cordybot, looking to take her down. He snatched the sword from his back, seeking to end it quickly.

Cordy was ready for him. As he came on, his sword poised, she spun, grabbed the coffee table and lifted it like it weighed nothing. As she came back around, she smashed it into him, knocking him from his feet and to the floor. She reached down and gripped him by the throat and spun again, hurling him out into the night and into the waiting hands of the vampire horde.

She barely managed to return her gaze to the terrified group when a petite blonde missile crashed into her and plowed her through the front of the house, onto the lawn. The bots came to a stop and rose to their feet, squaring off.

“Fuck!” Faith said, rushing forward. She pulled her Bowies and spun them in her hand, all feelings of fear forgotten. The last rational thought through her mind was a blazing acceptance. If this was how it had to end, then she was going out with a bang.

“Faith, no!” Giles shouted. “Bollocks.” He cursed, taking off after her. Xander and Justine followed behind him.

Warren stepped from the shadows and smiled brightly. “Look at that.” He said, proudly. “Just as I suspected.”

Drusilla and Amy flanked him. “You were right.” Amy offered. “Nice work.”

He draped his arms around their shoulders. “I love it when a plan comes together.”

Dru and Amy regarded each other a moment before shaking their heads and rolling their eyes.

Buffybot lashed out with a hard right cross. Cordybot smacked the blow aside easily and hammered the girl’s ribs with a snap-kick that staggered her back. “You have absolutely no skills.” The taller brunette bot said, chuckling.

“Then it’s time to change that,” Buffybot said, shaking her limbs. “Accessing Xander Combat Protocol One; The Dragon.” She rolled her head about her neck, flexed her shoulders, arms and chest and began bobbing on her feet, shaking her hands. It looked for all to see as if she was loosening up. Which was somewhat comedic, given that she was a robot. She reached down, tugged the thigh of her pant legs up and readied herself. She pursed her lips and blew out a breath. She then motioned for Cordelia to bring it. “I’ve got to finish my workout. Might as well finish on you.” She said, smiling. She heard Xander from behind her belt out a sharp “Hah! Told you it’d be useful!”

And bring it the dark haired robot did. As soon as she got close, Buffybot let out a high pitched throaty “Hawah!” as she loosed a fast kick to her leg, causing her to stagger. The blonde quickly followed up with a hard jab to the face, a quick shot to the temple, dancing out of the way as Cordybot stumbled past. “Waaa!” Buffybot chirped. She continued to bounce back and forth on her feet, keeping herself relaxed. She’d noticed that the big robot was stronger, but she was the faster of the two. So she was determined to use that to her advantage. “Too slow.” She said, grinning.

Faith leapt out into the fray, determined not to be a victim. She didn’t have the slayer strength, but she still had the slayer’s heart. As the hell rained down around her, she came to the realization that if she died here tonight, she’d go out as she always meant to; on her feet fighting. As the vampires bore down on her and her friends, she readied herself. She slid to her knees as the first undead creature lunged at her. She rammed her right blade into his genitals, stopping him in his tracks. She pulled the knife free and rose, stabbing him in his throat and wrenching the blade back, severing his head from his shoulders. He was dust soon after. Her heart was thudding in her chest as she looked about. More vampires than she could keep track of rushed about the yard.

Another came at her, growling. She ran at him and speared him to the ground. She straddled his chest and jammed her Bowies down into his eyes, blinding him. He screamed and tried to throw her off. She quickly pinned one of his arms with her leg and slammed her left blade down into his elbow, she then carved his head off with her other knife.

A hand gripped her hair and pulled her free, tossing her across the lawn to slam to the grass. She rolled to a stop to see a vampire looming over her. “You ain’t the slayer anymore, bitch.” He growled. He was dust second later as his head was cut from his body.

“Yeah, and neither am I. And look how much good that did your ass,” Justine said as she appeared through the dust. She looked down at Faith and offered her hand. “No time for a nap.”

Faith grinned and took her hand. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” The redhead said, smiling. “Long way to go until morning.”

Faith lifted her knives from the ground. “Then we best get back to work.” Her body was sore and she was already gassed, but she didn’t have the luxury of slowing down. None of them did.

Xander and Giles played it cool and collected. They took careful aim with their crossbows and fired when they had clear shots. Each arrow took a vampire from the game. They moved slowly over and rallied around Spike as he lay in a fetal position getting hammered on by the group of vamps around him. One by one they were taken out.

“Get up,” Giles said, grabbing the blonde vampire’s arm. “No time for lulling about.”

Spike rose to his feet and staggered a little. His face was a mass of cuts and bruises, but he seemed none the worse for wear. “Going to feel this in the morning.”

Xander chuckled. “It’ll be mostly healed in the morning.” He handed the man his sword. “Perks of being a vampire.”

Spike nodded to him. “Fair point.” He turned and jumped at a vampire, his sword leading. In a clean stroke, he took the demon’s head. He turned and downed another. “How can any of you bloody wankers stand working for a poncy little burke like Warren? I thought you all had more dignity than that.” He rammed his blade through another vampire’s chest, punched him in the face and ripped the sword free, taking the vampire’s head. “You all make me sick. Even when I was evil, I had standards.”

Justine couldn’t help but giggle. She booted a vampire in the crotch, stabbed another in the chest, then took both of their heads. Only her boyfriend would have the bald-faced cheek to lecture his fellow vampires in the middle of a pitched battle.

Tara and Willow moved out into the yard, hand in hand. They threw magic about, burning vampires to ash, blasting others apart with arcane lighting. Between shots, they did their best to cast vampires aside that were threatening to overrun the group. They were a very busy pair of witches. “There’s t-t-t-too many,” Tara said, strain in her voice. She felt Willows grip on her hand tighten.

“No, there’s not. We can do this.” Willow said, tears flowing from her eyes. “Incendere.” She snapped, hurling a ball of fire at a vampire that was getting a little too close to Faith. The demon went up in flames. “They’re counting on us.”

Tara wiped the sweat from her brow and loosed a bolt of black lightning from her palm. It crashed into the chest of a vampire and blew a hole in him the size of a basketball. It seemed to her for every vampire they downed, two more took its place.

Warren watched the display and began to worry. It wasn’t going quite as he had expected. As the battle unfolded before him, he realized that he’d made a grave error. He hadn’t counted on the Scooby gang’s ability to endure. As he stood there, he cursed himself for his hubris. Giles was a Watcher with decades of experience fighting the supernatural. Xander and Willow had been friends with Buffy for the past six years. Tara was a witch and no stranger to the paranormal element. Justine was a girl that had been waging a guerrilla war on the vampire community in Los Angeles for who knows how long. To all of them, this was old hat.

Lastly, there was Faith. Who’d been a slayer for nearly four years. Even if she didn’t have the slayer powers, she had the knowledge and the training. Where strength was currently failing her, she used her skills and wits and was taking vampires down, one after another. She was fighting smarter, not harder.

He’d foolishly thought that the only two real dangers he would have to face were Spike and Buffybot. Cordeliabot was a crowning moment for him. She was stronger than any of his previous creations by a damn sight and far more durable. She was even stronger than her blonde robotic counterpart.

But for some reason, the larger android was having a hell of time actually  _hitting_  the blonde. He watched Buffybot move around and cocked his head. He suddenly realized who the girl was mimicking. “Bruce Lee?” He asked himself. “Shit. That’s not good. I really wish I would have watched more of his movies. That’s what I get for watching so much MMA.”

He needed to act, and he needed to act  _now_. “Amy?” He pointed to Tara and Willow. “Do something about them.”

“You got it.” She looked at him with a sinister grin. “ _Boss_.” She said, walking toward the pair.

“Drusilla? Why don’t you go and reunite with your boyfriend?” He said, pointing.

She shrugged and walked toward the blonde vampire, slowly. A mischievous smirk began spreading across her face.

Warren began smiling. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.”

Andrew dragged himself to his feet and leaned against the side of the armored truck. He was breathing heavily and his body ached. He watched as the battle unfolded. Buffybot and Cordybot were moving around the yard, fighting fast and furious. The larger robot managed to catch the blonde with a hard kick that sent her flying. The smaller bot rolled to her feet and squared off again. Sparks popping from the right side of her face. She was also limping. For her part, Cordybot wasn’t fairing much better. Her right arm moved much slower than it had and hydraulic fluid ran freely down the side of her neck.

Spike was doing his best to fend off the vampires that were attacking him, but for every blow, he managed to fire off, he received two in return. And Drusilla was gliding slowly toward him.

Giles and Xander were rotating off, firing their crossbows while the other reloaded.

Faith and Justine fought back to back doing their best to keep from getting overrun. They were both obviously fatigued and sweating like crazy.

Tara and Willow were as one, using their magic to its full effectiveness, but slowly, they seemed to be losing ground. And Amy had them both in her sights.

He couldn’t let it end like this. He had to do something. He pulled the door of the truck open and climbed inside. Knowing Amy as he did, he knew she’d have what he needed. He moved into the back of the truck and sifted through the equipment. He found what he was looking for and quickly set about preparing a spell that he’d long since mastered.

Summoning was in his blood. He smiled as he began chanting. He knew just what he needed.

The night was suddenly torn asunder by a pair of deep guttural roars. Everyone stopped fighting, looking about frantically.

Out of the demolished remains of the Summers house, two huge horned Fyarl demons charged into the fray.

“Oh, bloody perfect,” Spike said, dismayed. He, along with everyone else, was shocked when the pair of brutal beasts began ripping into the vampires with a gleeful abandon.

“Crush you!” One of them roared, gripping a vampire’s head and crushing it in his hand like a grape.

“No!” Warren screamed.

Faith downed a vampire and looked over to see the source of months of anguish standing near the street. “Warren.” She growled.

“Go get him,” Justine said. “I got this.”

Faith nodded to her and ran at him. Drusilla intercepted her and snatched the front of the slayer’s shirt, lifting her from the ground. She stared into Faith’s eyes. “Don’t fight, pretty bird.”

Faith felt her will slipping. She tried to struggle and drew her knife back to stab the woman. Drusilla caught her wrist and held her. She pulled Faith in and pecked her on the lips and set her down. “Don’t be afraid, lovely girl. Punish the bad man.” With that, she stepped past Faith and continued on toward Spike.

The brunette slayer turned to look at her a moment then looked back to Warren, smiling. “You’re all mine, now asshole.”

Warren watched the display and was immediately angered. “Fucking bitch.” He said, angrily. He threw his leather trench coat off and rolled his head about his shoulders. “I’ve learned a few things in the past few months.”

“We’ll see.” She said, spinning her blades, holding them against her forearms. “Time to die, Warren.”

“Then come get me.” He said, grinning. He got into a fighting stance.

Faith went at him hard. Her blades slashing in from every angle. Warren moved and weaved, dodging her strikes with relative ease. “Is this the best you can do?” He asked. He pushed a blade aside and cracked her across the jaw with a hard right cross. Faith spun to the ground. He put a boot to her ribs, lifting her from the concrete and dropping her onto her back. All of the fighting she’d done previous had nearly wiped her out. Blood flowed from her lips. She rolled over and got to her hands and knees. “Come on, get up.” He said, chuckling. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”

She growled and lunged at him. Again she brought her knives to bear. In her furious rush, she managed to catch him in the arm with one of her blades, slicing a deep channel across his left bicep. She used her momentum and came back around. He caught her wrist and held her fast. For several heartbeats, she stood, winded and trying to pull herself free. She stood now, with her back to him. “Nice try.” With a sharp maneuver, he drove his forearm into her elbow, dislocating it, causing her to cry out. Her blade fell to the ground. He drove his foot into the back of her leg, dropping her to the knees. “This is just sad, Faith. I don’t know why I was ever afraid of you.” He gripped her hair and lifted her from the ground, throwing her out into the street.

She smacked down onto the concrete and rolled to a stop, dazed. Warren laughed and slowly walked toward her. “God, I’m enjoying this.”

Tara and Willow saw Drusilla stop Faith, only to let her go. “What the…?”

“I think you got bigger problems,” Amy said, grinning. She held her hands apart, letting red lightning crackle in between them. She drew her arms back, the energy collected about her, forming a whirlwind of crimson death. “Say goodnight.” She said, letting fly.

The pair of witches braced for impact.

Andrew climbed out of the back of the truck. His demons were doing what they were commanded to do. The beasts were unstoppable. One of the brothers snatched a vampire by the leg and used him as a club, beating down the others relentlessly. “Puny undead.” The demon snarled.

The other had a vampire on his back, trying desperately to drain the monster dry. The Fyarl reached back, tore the undead monster free and threw him to the ground. He then stomped on the vampire’s head, dusting him.

The tide seemed to have turned. Justine leaned against a tree, breathing heavily. Giles and Xander had run free of arrows and were now using stakes, dusting any vampire that got close.

Buffybot and Cordeliabot were still going strong. They were in the street now, standing toe to toe, slugging it out.

The larger bot caught Buffy’s arm as she came around for a backhand strike. Cordy held fast and side-kicked the smaller android in the ribs as she pulled on her arm. Buffybot’s right arm tore free at the shoulder. Brackish brown fluid sprayed onto the concrete as Buffybot staggered back.

Cordeliabot likewise stumbled. “Just a cheap imitation of the real thing.”

Buffybot chuckled. “Isn’t the first time I’ve lost a limb.” She ran and leapt, landing a hard jump kick to the brunette robot’s chest. Cordybot was sent flying. Buffybot landed and snatched her falling arm from the air. She ran over and began raining blows upon the downed bot with her sundered appendage. “There’s only room for one robot in this town.” She hammered Cordybot again and again. The beating the beautiful brunette had already taken was taking its toll. She didn’t understand. She was stronger, more advanced. But as her systems began shutting down, she came to a realization.

She’d done her research on the blonde robot. She was programmed to be very, very observant. And all of that knowledge came back to her. She realized that Buffybot had one thing that she didn’t and never would have.

Buffybot…had something to live for. She had the love of a good man. The love of good friends. None of them cared what she was.

And as the heavy blows rained down on her, she knew…sadness.

Then, she knew nothing at all. Buffybot stepped back and stared down at the mangled android. “Looks like you’ve been recalled.”

Spike put another vampire down and stopped as Drusilla walked up to him. “Hello, baby.” She said, smiling at him. “It’s been so long.”

Spike glared at her. “What are you doing here, Dru?”

“I just had to see you one last time.” She said to him. “Such fond memories we made.” She turned to Justine. “She’s a brave one. And she tasted so good.”

“Leave her alone, Dru,” Spike said, spinning his sword in his hand. He glanced upward as he saw what looked to be a large Blackhawk helicopter flying a few hundred feet above them. It came to a stop above the house. Everyone else seemed far too busy to pay it any attention. Drusilla continued talking, but he stopped listening. Once upon a time, he found her prattling to be endearing. Now it was just annoying as hell. The chopper’s side door opened. He smiled as he saw the short stocky redhead, clad in tactical body armor lean out. She lifted some sort of weapon onto her shoulder. He made eye contact with her and she nodded to him.

“Dru, sweetheart?” Spike said, stepping forward and taking hold of her shoulders. “It was nice seeing you again.” He pecked her on the lips. “But it’s time to say goodbye.”

“What?” She asked, whimsical. Spike stepped back just as the redhead fired the weapon. Drusilla’s chest burst open as the harpoon punched through her. Blood sprayed Spike’s face. The end of the large metal projectile snapped open, forming a grappling hook. Suddenly Drusilla was pulled up into the air toward the helicopter.

Renee gripped her hair and threw her into the chopper. She then turned to Spike and gave him a smile and a salute. The helicopter veered off as the side door slammed closed. “Goodbye, Dru.”

Andrew lifted a broken piece of wood and slowly made his way outside, doing his best to stay to the shadows. His breathing was heavy and labored, but he had something he had to do.

Warren reached down and gripped Faith’s throat, lifting her from the concrete. “I can’t tell you how many nights I’ve dreamed of this. To feel you struggling and fighting to breathe as I slowly choke the life from you.” He pulled her in and smiled in her face. “Or maybe I’ll just bleed you. Feed on you…” He chuckled.

“Will you fuckin’ kill me already? Getting really sick of listening to you talk.” Faith asked, trying to pry his hand free.

“How about I turn you? Make you my bitch for the rest of eternity. That would be fun.”

“Slayers can’t be turned, you moron.” Faith growled. She spat in his face. “Fuck you, Warren. You’re just gonna have to kill me. I’m never gonna be your bitch.”

He pulled her around and slammed her back against his chest. “Oh, I’ll kill you. But not before you get to watch your friends and family die.” He turned back to the fight…

…to see that his numbers were dwindling quickly. He was just in time to watch Buffybot hammer his finest creation into the street. Drusilla was snatched into the air by some redhead in a Blackhawk helicopter.

And Amy…

Tara and Willow closed their eyes and summoned their strength to block the massive attack. But the impact never came. Amy threw her arms into the air at the last moment, turning to Warren. “Fuck you, you little fucking jackass!” She screamed, letting her energy flow. The power flowed outward, arcing from one vampire to another, blasting them to dust as the energy hit them. “You  _never_  controlled me!  _Never_!”

He snarled and threw Faith down, hard. Her head cracked onto the concrete, nearly blacking her out. “How  _dare_  you, defy me!” He shouted at her. “You have no idea what-,” His words were cut off as he felt the stake ram into him from behind. The strike was feeble, but as it slid in, he could feel the sharp wood kiss his heart. He staggered forward and turned. “You.” He snarled.

Andrew stood, shaking and glaring. “Bang.” The boy said, his voice strained. “You’re dead.”

In a blast of ashen dust, Warren Mears, self-proclaimed vampire lord, supervillain, robotic genius was dead.

Andrew collapsed to the ground, vomiting. “Be gone.” He said, waving his hands at the pair of Fyarl demons. As suddenly as they appeared, they faded from sight. Both were smiling happily.

The last few vampires ran for the hills. Slayer or not, they wanted no part of the group now.

Amy turned to Willow and Tara. “I’m making you all a deal. You let me go and this doesn’t have to get ugly.”

Giles, Spike, Justine, and Xander moved up to surround her. Buffybot limped up to her as well. She was still carrying her severed limb. “You’re still a vampire,” Giles said. “And unlike Spike here, there’s no good left in you.”

“Should kill you, bint. Safer for everyone.” Spike said, resting his sword on his shoulder.

“No!” Faith shouted. She came limping up with Andrew supporting her. “Let her go.”

They all turned to look at her. Xander immediately stepped over and took Andrews arm around his shoulder, holding him up. Spike lifted Faith and carried her over. He held her aloft as though she weighed nothing. “She could have killed Andrew, but didn’t. She also took out a lot of these vamps. That’s earned her a pass. And it ain’t her fault she was turned.” She looked Amy in the eyes. “But you get out of Sunnydale. Tonight. You don’t get to go to Los Angeles, either. In fact, I don’t want you anywhere on the west coast. That’s the deal. Otherwise, we dust you here and now.”

“Never really liked California anyway,” Amy said.

Giles took the liberty of contacting Quentin Travers and getting the funds to repair the Summers home. The Council was more than happy to do so. At least that’s what Quentin said. But Giles knew sarcasm when he heard it.

The group loaded up and headed south to Los Angeles to meet up with friends and to have someplace safe to stay.

They were battered, bruised and a bit broken, but they were alive. They’d all risen to a challenge that was engineered by a very, very brilliant man for their ultimate destruction.

And they’d won. Against insurmountable odds, they’d won.

Andrew sat quietly in the passenger seat of his Ranchero. Giles sat behind the wheel. He cast a sideways glance at the boy. “I’m very proud of you, Andrew.”

He turned to look at the Watcher. “Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“What you did…you saved our lives.” Giles offered. “It was very brave of you.” He looked at him and back to the road. “Would you ever consider becoming a Watcher?”

Andrew looked at him in surprise. “Are you serious?”

“Quite serious. You’re intelligent enough for it. You’ve got a rather good grasp on demonology. And you’ve proven that you’re not afraid to fight if you have to. You’re ridiculously immature, but nothing that we can’t work around.”

Andrew was quiet for a long time. “I think that would be cool.”

“It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it, I think,” Giles said. “I’ve never regretted it.”

“Would you be training me?” Andrew asked him.

“To start with. Eventually, you’d attend the academy in London. That’s where you’d receive the bulk of your training.”

“I’d be honored.” He said, happily. “Thank you.”

“You’ve earned it.” Giles returned.

Xander relaxed as he cruised along behind the wheel Justine’s Chevelle. He loved the way the thing sounded and the way it drove. The vampire and his redheaded girlfriend sat in the backseat cuddling up. He looked at them in the rearview and smiled. He was looking forward to doing the same thing with his wife when they were reunited. Seeing Justine’s flaming red hair reminded him of something. “Hey, Spike?”

“What?”

“What was the deal with that Blackhawk?” Xander asked him. “And who was that redhead?”

“Someone I met in Las Vegas,” Spike said. “Remember me telling you all about the bint named Renee?” Xander nodded. “That was her. She let me go back in Vegas but wanted Dru for what she did the girl’s mum. When I got out of Willy’s, I gave her a call. I figured that Dru would be with Warren when he came for us.”

“It doesn’t bother you to know what Renee is gonna do to her?” Xander asked.

Spike looked down at Justine to see her looking up at him curiously. “Not so much, no.” He leaned down and kissed the girl. “I got all I need right here. Dru’s old news.”

That obviously made Justine happy.

“I’m tellin’ you, Red.” Faith said, from the backseat of the Jeep. She turned and looked at the covered lump in the back. “Cordy’s gonna fuckin’ freak out.”

“I’m sure she is. But at the same time, it’s invaluable technology.” Willow said. “I wanna get her repaired and operational again.” She turned and looked at Buffybot. “After we completely wipe her core and data systems of course.”

The blonde robot nodded. “She’s – she’s – she’s – she’s…”

Faith reached over and smacked her in the side of the head.

“She’s a very impressive robot.” Buffybot finished. She turned to Faith. “Thank you.” The brunette waved her hand dismissively. “She fought very well and was really strong. She’d be a valuable ass – ass – ass – ass…” Faith gave her another rap. “Asset.”

“She really did a number on you, didn’t she?” Faith asked.

Buffybot sighed and lowered her head. She looked at her arm sitting in her lap. “She broke me.”

“Yes, but you’re going to be a much easier fix than she is,” Tara said. “You did wonderfully.”

“I can’t believe Xander actually programmed you with Bruce Lee’s moves. That’s just awesome.” Faith said laughing. “Did he really call that Xander Combat Protocol One; The Dragon?”

Buffybot nodded. “He said it would be funny if I said that every time I had to access that – that – that…” Faith smacked her again. “That subroutine.”

“I’m gonna go ahead and power you down for a while,” Willow said. “Your energy reserves are really low.”

“I don’t want to be off when we see Daniel,” Buffybot said, sadly. “He misses me and I miss him.” She smiled. “I love him.”

“Don’t worry, double B. We’ll fire you back up when we get to LA, we promise.” Faith said. “It’ll do him some good to see you get out of the rig under your own power, anyway.”

“Okay.” The blonde robot said.

Willow reached back and depressed the power switch. “She’s gonna be hard to fix.”

“She took a hell of a beating.” Faith said. “And if not for her…if not for all of you, I’d be dead.” She said, tears filling her eyes. “I’m never gonna be able to repay you all for what you did for me tonight.”

“It’s what friends and family does for each other, Faith,” Tara said. “You’d have done the same for us.”

“We should have taken you to a hospital for that arm,” Willow said pointing.

Faith lifted and flexed it, hissing in pain as she did so. “No. I should have my slayer powers back in a few days. I’ll be fine in a week or so.”

“Until then, you’re taking it easy,” Willow said to her. “Even if Tara and I have to magically bind your stubborn butt to the bed for a week.”

“That’s cheating.” Faith said, pouting.

“You bet your sweet tuckus it is, sister.” Willow offered, turning back around. “And don’t you forget it.”

“But you and T-bear are supposed to be the nice ones. I’m the bad one.” Faith said, trying not to smile.

“We sleep with you every night. Something’s bound to rub off.” Tara said, playfully. “Because we all know how much you like the rubbing.”

Faith couldn’t control herself and burst out laughing. “God I love you two.” She said through teary eyes.

 


	81. Chapter 81

The arrival in Los Angeles was a bittersweet reunion. Daniel fretted terribly over Buffybot, despite her reassuring him that they were alright. Cordelia naturally freaked out over the Cordybot, fearing – no,  _dreading_  what Warren did with her. She was still a tad bit nervous about Buffybot and Spike’s rather toxic relationship. How Daniel could just throw himself to her like he had was just…skeevy. But the boy loved her to death. It was so obvious that it wasn’t even funny.

But having a robotic doppelganger of herself walking around was nothing short of just plain creepy. Given how much they’ve been going through in the past few months, she couldn’t argue the robot’s usefulness. That and it would give Fred a pet project. Just as long as she kept it away from Cordy’s clothes.

It had been three days since they came to Los Angeles. Team Angel had pulled out all the stops and gone to the trouble of making sure everyone had a room they could use to recuperate. It was a pretty full house, but with the hotel being so big, it wasn’t hard to find a quiet spot to be alone for a while.

Faith sat in her room with her arms crossed, looking out the window. For the past two days, she’d been spending her time thus, just watching the world go by and thinking. She could feel her slayer abilities slowly returning. Her bruises and cuts were starting to heal as they should and the stiffness she felt from the beating she’d taken was almost gone. She was actually feeling pretty good, she just wanted to spend some time alone to hash things out.

Willow and Tara both understood. They told her how much they loved her and if she needed to talk, they’d be there for her. Dawn and Kit both popped in a couple of times to see if she was okay, as did Giles, Olivia, and Xander. Anya couldn’t be bothered. Faith smiled as she thought about what the girl had said. “If she wanted to talk to us, she’d be down here with the rest of us. She obviously wants to be alone. I’m going to give her what she wants. I know she’s still my friend.” She chuckled. It was such an Anya thing to say.

So, by day they spent their time with the group chatting while Fred and Willow went about putting Buffybot back together. It was a relatively easy fix, all things considered.

A knock on the door of the room she shared with her girls caused her to start. “It’s open.” She said, looking to see who it was.

Giles stepped into the room with a manila envelope in his hand. “How are you feeling?” He asked her.

“I’m okay.” She said. “Not quite five by five, but getting there. What’s up?”

“I um…I hope you don’t mind.” He moved over and sat down. “I took the liberty of gathering some information.” He pulled a pair of photographs out of the envelope and handed them to her.

Faith looked at them and was instantly choked up. “This…this is Diana.” She said, staring at the snapshot. It was of Diana Dormer, sitting before the fireplace in her Cambridge home with a smile on her face. Faith couldn’t help but remember the woman’s somewhat crooked smirk. As she thought back, she honestly could see a lot of herself in Diana. She flipped to the second photo. She saw a large, ornate headstone with the woman’s name etched onto it. Below were the words ‘Semper Fidelis’. “How…?”

“When you disappeared, the Council dispatched a team to determine what had happened to you. Through a bit of divining magic, they found the location of that last battle with Kakistos before he began his pursuit of you. They um, they found Diana’s body…”

“What was left of it.” Faith added, bitterly. She still harbored a tremendous amount of anger over the whole incident. She’d been able to come to terms somewhat with the fact that there was nothing more she could have done. She’d have been killed as well and nothing would have been served by it. She’d managed to get revenge for the woman. But that seemed woefully inadequate for the brunette slayer.

“The Council has offered the services of the private jet they keep on standby to fly us both over to London so you might have some closure. Maybe a chance to say goodbye.”

Faith simply stared at him and nodded. She didn’t say a word. She was pretty certain that she wouldn’t have been able to past the lump in her throat.

After packing a bag, Faith found herself sitting in the rather posh Gulfstream headed for London Heathrow Airport. A quick refuel in New York and they were making the last leg of the journey.

“You’re quiet,” Giles said to her. “Anything you want to talk about?”

She looked at him. “I’m just kinda nervous, I guess.”

He nodded. He could understand how she felt. She was about to seek forgiveness that she really didn’t think she deserved. He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, letting her know that he was there and would be for as long as she wanted.

The plane landed – naturally – in a torrential downpour. The limousine the council had reserved sat waiting on the tarmac. The driver held up a sign with a name on it. It read LEHANE. Faith walked out of the plane, pulling her leather jacket tighter around her. She stopped when she saw the name. She looked at Giles. He smiled at her. “This is all for you, Faith.” They made their way over and slid into the car.

She sat quietly and watched the streets roll by. She was still a little conflicted about all of this. She understood the need for closure and couldn’t deny that she owed the woman at least a thank you for all she’d done for her. But that didn’t make what she was going to do any easier. “You alright?” Giles asked her.

“It’s just gonna be hard, you know?” She said to him. “I haven’t seen her since…”

“Since that night,” Giles said, softly. “It’s something you need.”

“Oh, I ain’t denyin’ that.” Faith said, nodding. “It’s just gonna be difficult.”

“I know how you feel. I truly do. When I lost Jenny, I…” He pulled his glasses off and wiped his eyes. “Seeing Angel, I’m constantly reminded of her.”

“That’s gotta be rough.” Faith said to him. She truly did feel for him. The her of three years ago, wouldn’t have really given a shit, but now her heart went out to him. From what everyone had said, the pair of them were close. Angel admitted there wasn’t a day gone by that he didn’t feel absolutely horrible for the things he’d done, the people he’d hurt. That was what made the two of them so much alike.

If not for Angel, Faith would never have been given the second chance she had now. And there wasn’t a second that she didn’t appreciate the big vampire for it.

“Before we go the cemetery, Quentin would actually like a word with you,” Giles said.

“What for?” Faith asked, suddenly worried. She couldn’t see him wanting to see her as a good thing.

“He didn’t really say. Given all you’ve been through, I can’t imagine it being anything bad.” He tried to reassure his slayer, but truthfully, he didn’t know what Quentin had in mind for her. He was hoping,  _pleading_  that it wouldn’t be anything that would be emotionally taxing on the girl. She’d been through enough over the past few days.

The limousine dropped them in front of a rather charming brownstone. Giles and Faith climbed out and looked up at the building. “I’ve never been here before.” Faith said, looking it over. “It looks so… _normal_.”

“The Council does try very hard to be discreet.” Giles offered. “Come on. We best get this over with.”

As they entered the building, Faith was immediately taken in by the grandeur that surrounded her. It was almost as if she’d stepped back in time. Suits of armor sat at regular intervals about the main hall, each looking to be from a different period of history and multiple countries. Paintings of historic figures graced the walls. Some she was familiar with, most she wasn’t. Various individuals milled about attending this or that task. “Come on Faith,” Giles said, leading her up a grand sweeping set of stairs.

Faith couldn’t help but feel a bit out of place, dressed as she was in a pair of tight jeans, a red tank top, and her leather jacket. Giles, of course, looked right at home in his tweed suit and tie. “I should have dressed the part.”

“You’re a slayer, Faith.  _And_  a young woman. You  _are_  dressed the part.” Giles said to her. They moved up to the top floor and down a hallway.

“I guess being the head of the Watcher’s Council, he gets the really big office, huh?” She said, chuckling.

Giles could hear the underlying nervousness in her voice. “Quite. Rank hath its privileges.” He opened the door at the end of the hallway and stepped into a small receptionist’s office.

A rather attractive woman that appeared to be in her twenties, dressed in a nice mango colored blouse, sat behind an antique wooden desk tapping away at a computer. As they entered, she smiled brightly and greeted them warmly. “Good morning.”

“Hello, yes. Rupert Giles and Faith Lehane here to see Quentin Travers. He’s expecting us.”

“Just a moment.” She leaned over and lifted her phone. “Mr. Travers, I have a Rupert Giles and Faith Lehane here to see you.” She paused a moment. “Alright. I’ll send them right in.” She hung up the phone and looked to the pair of them. “You can go in.” She offered, motioning to the door behind her.

“Thank you,” Giles said, smiling at her as he moved past. They entered the richly appointed office of Quentin Travers, current Director of Operations for the storied Watcher’s Council.

“Rupert. Faith.” He said, rising to his feet with a smile on his face. If Giles didn’t know better, he’d sworn the man was  _actually_  glad to see them. He stepped around the desk and offered his hand to Giles, who took it immediately, looking a bit confused. Quentin ignored him and turned to Faith, likewise looking to shake hands. “It is a genuine pleasure to finally meet you face to face.”

“Yeah. You, too. Thanks for bailing me out of lockup. I’ve um, I’ve been trying to do right by you guys. You know, trying to make sure you guys don’t think you made a mistake.” She said, smiling.

“Quite right,” Quentin said, motioning to the chairs in front of his enormous desk. “Come, sit. We’ve got quite a bit to talk about.”

Faith followed him and took a seat. She spared a look to Giles, who simply shrugged. It was obvious from the Watcher’s expression, this was not what he was expecting.

“I’ve read Rupert’s report on what occurred over the past few days in Sunnydale,” Quentin said, flipping open a file folder. “According to our records, you uh, you never completed the Cruciamentum.” He lifted his eyes to hers and gave her a smirk. “Until now.”

“I was put away before my eighteenth.” Faith said, softly. “I’m nineteen, now.”

He nodded. “Yes, I know. And you did quite well for someone without their slayer abilities. Granted, you had quite a bit of help, but according to Rupert here you managed to claim…” He regarded the report. “Five vampires on your own. And all without the slayer strength, agility and endurance.” He looked back up at her. “How are you feeling, dear?”

“I’m better. It’s coming back in dribs and drabs. Whatever Warren’s bot juiced me with was laced with something that’s taking a little longer than we thought, but I’m nearly back up to strength.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Faith.” He said, closing the folder. “I must say that you’ve been doing a wonderful job over these past few months. You’ve taken your duties very seriously and you’ve been a model slayer.”

She chuckled. “Not something I’d ever thought I’d hear someone say about me.”

“I know things were rough on you when you were first called, Faith. The events in Sunnydale when you first arrived were, well, they weren’t very fortuitous for you. Mistakes were made all the way around. Lack of communication, lack of understanding and compassion…it was all in a bad way.”

“I should have been more forthcoming with what happened.” Faith admitted. Coming to grips with all of that was part of her therapy while in jail. She spoke to a Watcher’s Council shrink that got her to open up and accept responsibility.

“But that is in the past. It’s time to look toward the future.” He said, happily. “Do you like being a slayer?” He asked her.

“I do. It’s like…” She shook her head, gesturing with her hands, searching for the right words.

“Allow me to read something to you,” Quentin said, pulling out a notepad. “Brutality and fluidity have never been so thoroughly embodied, at least in my purview until now. She is quite possibly the most infuriating girl I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She swears, she belches and her table manners are atrocious, and yet…I find that I cannot help but feel for her, and envy her. Faith is the sort of slayer the world needs. Now, more than ever. The vampires, the demons and the creatures of the night are becoming more brazen, more cunning and more wise to the ways of the world in which they hunt. Faith, when I see her combat the menaces, I see it clear as day. She is strong, she is fast and she is so very, very  _nasty_. She could very well be the monster in the monster’s closet. As the supernatural beasts stalk our world, causing us to fear, she stalks theirs, causing  _them_  to fear. An apex predator. As I watch her now, deconstructing the vampire she fights handily, with little to no proper combat training to speak of, I know this to be true. She loves it. Bloodied and bruised night after night, the smile never leaves her face and the song never seems to leave her heart.” He took his glasses off and looked at her. “That was one of the entries in Diana Dormer’s diary. She cared a great deal for you, Faith.” He reached into his desk and pulled a manila envelope out and slid it across the table to her. “And she wanted you to have this. It would have come sooner, but it took this long for all of the processes to finish and go through.”

“What is it?” Faith asked him.

“Well, you see. Diana was a fairly wealthy woman. She had no children, no ties to leave behind. She has no other family. When you became her potential, she had her will made out and left everything to you.” He smiled at her. “She was a lot like you when she was younger. Her formative years were spent running with a bad crowd, going where she shouldn’t go and doing what she shouldn’t do.”

“Yeah, that’s me alright.” She looked to Giles. He gave her a smirk but said nothing.

“Anyway. After learning of what befell her, the Watcher’s Council stepped in and had her belongings removed from her Boston home and put it up for sale. Along with all of her assets. That’s what she had in her accounts and what came of the sale of her estate. I took the liberty of having her books and volumes delivered to a storage facility in Sunnydale. They’ll be there waiting for you to peruse.”

Faith opened the envelope and pulled out a photograph. It was of her and Diana at Fenway Park for a Boston Red Sox game. Diana was grinning widely, wearing a #71 Nate Spears game jersey and a baseball cap. Faith was clad much the same, except she donned a #62 Lars Anderson jersey. An elderly couple had taken the photo for them. As she looked at it, she couldn’t help but smile. It was one of the few times she could remember being truly happy. Diana had awakened her that morning and said that they had much to do. Faith, of course, groaned and growled, but after a breakfast at her a favorite restaurant, the woman took her for a very fun day around Boston, culminating in a game with dugout seats.

It was a wonderful day and Faith had never forgotten it.

“She had that in her home. I thought you might like to have it.” Quentin said.

Faith smiled at him and set the picture down, looking over the paperwork. She read a little and realized it was a financial statement from the Bank of England. According to the figures…Faith was a millionaire. All told, with everything in one Diana Dormer’s estate liquidated, she was sitting on sixty-two million, eight hundred and seventy-one thousand, three hundred two dollars and twenty-nine cents. “This…this is all mine?” She looked up at him. “Are you serious?”

“It is,” Quentin said. “She wanted to make sure, should anything happen to her, that you were well cared for.”

“This is a lot of money.” Faith said. She should be happy. She knew that. She was rich now. She had the money to literally do whatever she wanted. And yet…she didn’t really care. “I’m not gonna stop being the slayer.” She said, looking him in the eye.

He chuckled. “I didn’t think you would. I’ve known Diana for quite some time. We entered the Watcher’s academy together. And to be completely honest, I’ve rarely known her to have a kind word to say to anyone. She cared very deeply for you, Faith. And I know she wouldn’t want you to carry around the guilt of what befell her. When we all signed on as Watchers, we knew –  _know_  – the risks. She did, too.”

Faith bit her lip and stared at Quentin. “I was there. I watched it, watched it all happen.”

“If you feel like sharing, I’d like to know exactly what transpired.” He shook his head. “You didn’t even tell your psychologist when you were on the inside.”

“I couldn’t. But now…I mean, she was a part of you guys, you know? She was a friend to a lot of people around here. At least I’d like to think so.”

“She had quite a few friends,” Quentin said. “Okay, that’s not true. She was abrasive as hell and didn’t have many friends at all if one were to be brutally honest.”

“Part of the reason you decided to pair her with Faith, I would imagine.” Giles offered.

“Quite.” Quentin agreed. “But she was very well respected. She was a very gifted Watcher.”

Faith nodded and told him, detail by gruesome detail about Diana Dormer’s last moments on Earth. As she finished her story, Quentin Travers, a decades-long veteran of the supernatural war, was pale in the face and looked any moment as if he might boot. “And keep in mind, I was only fifteen at the time.” Faith said, in conclusion.

Quentin shook his head, dumbfounded. He’s seen quite a few grotesque things in his time, but all of them,  _every single one_  of the horrors he’d witnessed was as an adult man, with years of preparedness to shore up his resolve. Faith was nearly untrained and unprepared…and to have to literally watch the one person that meant a damn to her get torn apart piece by piece, helpless to stop it…he couldn’t imagine a worse kind of hell. “I know enough of you to know that pity isn’t something you care for, but gods Faith. I am so very sorry you had to witness that.”

“I got even with him, though.” Faith said. “Rammed his ass through with a six by six support beam.” She looked at Giles. “If not for B, I would have been up shit creek.”

Giles grinned widely at her. He was, and always would be proud of Buffy.

“I believe there is a car outside waiting for you,” Quentin said. “I wanted to tell you that I am quite proud of you, Faith.”

She smiled at him. “Thanks.” She said, standing and offering her had. “And thanks for giving me a second chance. I’m gonna keep trying not to let you down.”

“I know, Faith.” He returned, taking her hand and giving her a warm, genuine smile.

As they left the council headquarters, Faith was incredibly quiet. They climbed into the limousine and made for the cemetery.

“Are you ready for this?” Giles asked her. He could tell just how nervous she was.

She nodded her head. “Nope. Not even close to being ready for this.” She looked up at him. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

He took her hand and gave it a gentle, supporting squeeze. “Faith? You need this. You need to be free of this.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything. They pulled up to the front of the cemetery. Faith couldn’t help but think it was straight out of a horror movie. Even down to the grotesques on the columns next to the gates. “This place doesn’t look ridiculously ominous.” She said as they got out. Faith pulled the large bag from the trunk and pushed the huge gates open. They creaked in the creepy horrorfest fashion. She unzipped the bag and pulled her Bowies out, belting them around her waist. Giles stared at her with a raised eyebrow. “It’s a cemetery in the middle of London, Tweed. Do the math.”

“It’s also one in the afternoon.” Giles returned.

“Demons can still walk in the daylight.” Faith shot back.

“Good point.” He conceded. He pulled out a bouquet of flowers; a dozen lotus blossoms.

Faith looked at the flowers and back to him. “How did you know?”

“I asked Quentin when I made the call. He tried asking Diana out once.” Giles said, grinning.

“These were her favorite.” She drew in the scent of the blossoms. “Her mansion always smelled like this. She even bought me some lotus scented candles for the room I stayed in.” She looked up at him. “What did she say?”

“Sod off, you bloody wanker,” Giles said. “I laughed rather hysterically when he told me that.”

Faith chuckled and sighed. “I still miss her, Tweed.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. It think it’s time you two spoke.”

They moved through the graveyard quietly. Being in a cemetery, broad daylight or no, caused Faith’s returning slayer senses to be stretched wire tight. She and Giles both kept a very cautious eye out. This particular graveyard was a different setting and made different sounds. They made it to Diana Dormer’s headstone without incident.

The Watcher’s Council had spared no expense. The headstone was a beautifully carved gray and white marble. Faith looked on and didn’t realize just how old Diana really was. According to the time stamp, she was just past the age of sixty-five when she passed away. Faith couldn’t help but grin. She had to give her credit. She was pretty spry for a woman of her age. Didn’t necessarily look bad in tight jeans, either.

Giles looked at Faith. She shook her head. “Gimme a sec.” She said as she turned away.

“You mind if I talk to her a moment?” He asked Faith.

She nodded. He could see she was a little surprised. He stepped in front of the grave and looked down at the carved marble. “Hello, Diana. You don’t know me. My name is Rupert Giles. I’m a Watcher. Just like you.” He began to tear up. “Faith has been twisting herself in knots over what happened to you. Even now, she continues to believe it was her fault. She’s a wonderful girl. You would be so proud of the slayer she’s become. You laid a phenomenal groundwork with her. I wish I could have gotten to know you. I think we would have gotten on quite well. You needn’t worry over her. She has friends and loved ones now that support and care for her. She has the life that I think you always wanted for her.” He wiped the tears from his eyes. “I’m not really sure what else to say. I am sorry for what happened to you. No one deserves that.” He turned away. His throat closed and he couldn’t speak anymore. Faith stood beside him and hugged him when he finished. “Take your time.” He told her. He stepped away to give her some privacy.

“Hey, D.” Faith slid her hands into her back pockets. “How’ve you been?” She could almost see Diana standing in front of her, leaning against the headstone. Her long hair, pulled back in that same tight iron gray bun, still looked perfect. Her piercing yet kind green eyes. Even her freshly pressed business suit looked good.

“Dead. You?” The phantom said smiling. “I’m fine Faith. You look bloody awful. Have you been crying?”

Faith nodded. “I was so nervous.”

Diana walked over, pushing the hair from Faith’s face. “You? Nervous? Doth my ears deceive?”

Faith laughed. “I know. Hard to believe, huh?”

The phantom looked past her and looked at Giles. “Is he doing right by you?” She said with a smirk.

Faith turned and looked at him. “Yeah. Yeah, he is.”

“Faith?” The woman asked.

Faith looked back to her. “I miss you, D.”

“I know, love. I wish I could have been there for you when it counted.” She looked at the young slayer. “Did you get him?”

“Yeah. Me and B, I mean Buffy put him down.” Faith tried to keep her voice strong. It was hard. “God, D I should have done something.”

“Dear, I knew what was possible when I took the assignment of Watcher. There are things that are too terrible to imagine, but that does not stop them from happening. He was far too powerful to take on alone. I knew that. I haven’t, don’t and never will blame you for what happened to me. Had you attempted to rescue me, he would have killed you.”

“But what he did to you . . .” Faith closed her eyes. “I can still see it.”

“It is exactly what you needed.” Diana moved closer to her. “Seeing how truly terrible he could be gave you the strength you needed to do what you had to do. It gave you the strength to run. To find help. Either way, you did exactly what you set out to do. He is dead. Any designs you had for avenging me have unfolded. Your conscience can be clear.”

“You were the only one that gave a shit about me.” Faith was crying now. “I loved you, D.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Faith. You had to live. You had to carry on the fight. There are so few of you and so many of us.”

“I’m trying to be a good slayer for you, D. Giles is a really good Watcher, but I miss you.”

“I know, dear. But you needn’t seek forgiveness from me, Faith Lehane. You have always had it. You were not the easiest pupil to work with, but you were always so eager to learn.” She looked at her watch. “I’m almost out of time, love.” She looked Faith in the eyes. “I love you, dear. I am overjoyed to see that you have found a place where you belong. You’ve suffered long enough. Go now. Live for the both of us and never feel that you don’t deserve everything that you desire.”

Faith closed her eyes, letting the tears fall down her cheeks. “Bye, D.” She opened her eyes again and smiled at the headstone.

Giles sat beside her, watching her. She had changed. Something inside her was gone; her self-doubt. He could see her looking at the world through different eyes. It was refreshing to see, to be honest.

She turned and looked at him. She didn’t say anything. But then, she really didn’t have to. The look of pure  _freedom_  in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.

 


End file.
